Wednesday 19 January 2011

Glass fusing

Yesterday I went on a glass fusing course run by Helen Smith of Helen Rose glass. The course was held in Helens home which she has set up as a work studio. There were three of us on the course which would probably be the maximum as there was just about enough room around the table!

We began by learning about the different strengths of glass and about the cutting tools and techniques. We then practiced cutting glass which was very thin like a window pane. This was fairly easy and we then learnt the techniques for cutting circles and wavy lines.

The first project we embarked on was a coaster. This involved cutting two squares of glass of equal size. Putting them together and then decorating the top. The decoration I decided to use was a teacup.



The following project was a sun catcher. I decided to make one for my sister and her families new house incorporating all of the initials of their family and a house


This used stringer glass and granules as well as sanding and cutting. The third project was a bowl and by then I was so engrossed in cutting circles I managed to cut myself and forget to photograph the work in progress so will have to wait for the finished article to arrive. The bowl is clear glass with pink on top. Next is a ring of yellow and then a red heart in the centre.

Finally we made jewellery. Helen showed us some glass with interesting effects which is what she uses for her jewellery. This glass is much more expensive than the opaque and transparent glass we had previously used and had many different textures and colours. I liked some of the jewellery that Helen showed us but I was not really that keen in this style of glass as I found it a bit fussy. I like the opaque glass by far the best as I like things to be plain and simple. I decided to make two large necklaces which could be worn on a piece of leather. I used a special paper on the back to make a hole to put the leather through. I then designed a flower pendant and a bumble bee. The flower was made cutting techniques and the bee was made using the stringers and granules and glass with cutting techniques.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad


My pendants can be seen here together with the pieces of jewellery made by Margaret and Stuart.









The whole day was great fun and I really want to do more glass fusing and learn more techniques as well as improving the skills I have learnt. I am waiting excitedly for the news that the pieces we made have been fired. I cant wait to see them!

1 comment:

  1. Lovely! I just knew the teacup was yours when I saw it on the course photos. Can't wait to see the finished items :-)

    ReplyDelete