| Here's how I make stained glass with ferrets underfoot -- first,
I open the shipment of glass and put the glass on the counter. In the
short time it takes to do this, the ferrets get into the box and spread
the packing peanuts all over the floor! It takes a good 45 minutes to
clean them all up because in that microsecond they have spread packing
peanuts
everywhere that peanuts could possibly fit, including under the stove, the
refrigerator, and into the next room. Of course, the static makes the
peanuts stick to the ferrets as they run around, making clean up an
adventure for both the ferrets and me! Ugh!
Needless to
say, they had too much fun! |
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| Here Zack inspects the just cleaned glass to make sure the
pieces meet his strict specifications. I am about to foil it -- and
he will be put on the floor so he won't get into anything, break my glass,
or possibly get hurt. Cutting, grinding and soldering is done in my cellar
where I have a small "studio" set up next to the furnace, the
washer and dryer, and cat litter box. (Really makes me want to run right
down there and do glass, right?) It's actually not that bad. I have everything I
need there and I can throw in a load of ferret laundry while I work. |
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| This is an iris window that I am currently working on for my
kitchen. I have made lots of different glass pieces, but I usually end up
giving them away or making them for the shelter (or for friends). My
favorite flower is the iris, and I decided it was time to make a window
for me.
Once you have
all the pieces cut and fit, you clean them well, foil them, and then you
solder the piece. |
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| Just about any pattern can be modified to accommodate
stained glass. The only thing to keep in mind is that glass wants to break
in a fairly straight line. There are lots of tools now to assist with tricky
cuts, such as a band saw, but I don't have one. I use a pistol grip glass
cutter, a glass grinder, and a soldering iron with a rheostat to control
the temperature. I always wear protective glasses when doing stained
glass. When I solder, I wear the glasses and use a fume-filtering
respirator. Might as well play it safe
-- I kind of like my eyes and my lungs!
This is a
suncatcher I made for my assistant at work upon the birth of her baby
boy. |
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| There are so many beautiful sheets of glass being produced
now that I want them all! It's so inspiring to go to a stained glass store
and look at the variety. I have to wipe the drool off my chin.... I mean,
which ones do I want right now??? I do
have a good selection of glass that I've collected over the years. Some I
have set aside for a specific project, and others are basic colors that
you need for petals, leaves, sky, etc. You can never have too much glass.
I prefer the copper foil method of stained glass, although I love the
leaded glass too. I can sit and watch a movie while I foil and you can't
do that with lead. (Not that I have much time to watch movies, either, but
whenever I sit down to foil, my hubby puts in a movie.) |
This cardinal
is made of art glass and has a black patina on the soldering for added
effect. |
| Stained glass is a fun hobby, whether you keep the pieces
for yourself, give them away, or sell them. It's very rewarding and
relaxing. It can also be very stressful when the pieces don't quite
fit. The best part for me is after the soldering is finished and I
take off the mask and ventilator and wash the piece. After it is cleaned, it is polished
-- and the sparkle is amazing! |
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| After high school I had planned to go off to college and
major in fashion design, but life got in the way and I never did get
there. Do I have any regrets? None at all. I have tried lots of different artistic avenues over the years,
but find that stained glass is something that has stayed with me. I find
that I always need
to be creating -- and so I usually modify a pattern to meet my liking --
meaning I take a pattern and change it somehow. (All ferret patterns are
my own designs, however!!!). If you can draw, you can design stained
glass. And, if you can't draw, there are literally thousands of great
pattern books available for sale. You can find free patterns on the
the Internet too! |
This is a
glass whirl with dolphins in it. I modified the pattern to use dolphins
instead of hummingbirds. It has a swivel on top so that it spins when the
breeze comes through the window. |
| And, of course, the glass you choose for your project makes
it unique. Here's a picture of my mom with the planter I gave her which is
made of antique cathedral window glass. The glass has shades of gray,
teal, and purple throughout, complete with tiny bubbles and streaks. Truly
unique and beautiful. You can use a beautiful pattern, but if you don't
choose your glass wisely, the results can be boring.
|
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| I've been doing stained glass for about 20 years now. I only
took one class and it was through the local adult education system at the
high school. Not the best way to learn the "art", but I was
hooked and made a big iris window for my best friend. Looking back on that
piece, the soldering was terrible, the pieces didn't fit tightly, the
design was primitive, but it was very pretty. My friend made a wooden
frame for it and bought a little wooden kitchen set and painted the frame
and chairs to match the purple in the iris. I was very impressed and
wondered why I hadn't kept it for myself. :) |
A rose heart
wreath
|
Anyway, since then, I've made lamps, suncatchers, windows, 3-d projects, and
lots and lots of ferrets. The funny thing about the ferrets is that even though
I have copyrighted them, people still steal the design and market it as their
own. Boo-hiss! I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, eh? Just
keep in mind that stealing copyrighted material is a crime, and if I catch you, you will be prosecuted. I'd be more than
happy to design a ferret for you to make for yourself, but please don't steal
my designs -- all proceeds support the ferrets at Ferret Services of Freedom
-- besides, that's not nice.
When I finish the iris window and put it in my kitchen, I'll post pictures of
it here. Right now it's slow going as there are other priorities (like work,
ferrets, cleaning the house and shelter, etc.) that keep me busy. Someday
I'd love to have a little stained glass studio with a real window and lots of
sunshine to work in whenever I like! Until then, I'll keep plugging away at the
iris window. :)