Fire!

So, while working with glass and a torch on Thursday, I set the chair on fire…

Really, I did!

But, it is actually a good thing.

The MOST important lesson that I have learned with working with glass – all glass, fused, torch work, etc – is do NOT attempt to catch anything falling….

Glass is sharp and cuts.  Hot glass is VERY hot and burns quickly and painfully.

Let the items fall.  Then figure out how to pick them up.

On Thursday, I went to “open torch” at Potek glass.  This is an open studio session in which I use the torches to either make beads with soft glass or paperweights and other things with hard glass.  Either way, it involves melting glass rods with a 2500-degree torch and reforming them.  Often times, you attach a “punti” – a slender rod of glass - loosely to the side or end of your piece, finish working on it, and detach.  In order to avoid a lot of bumps, you attach it as minimally as you can.  Sometimes it does not hold well.

That’s what happened to me on Thursday.  The piece I was working on detached and fell towards me.  I jumped up quickly and the hot disc of glass fell on to the plastic chair that I was sitting on instead of on to my leg.  Plastic burns… some small flames occurred, but I got the piece picked up with a tool and finished it off.

Today, I also working on the torch and also lost a piece off a punti.  I let it roll away, and picked it up with a tool.  I did manage to burn myself at one point today, but it was not from trying it catch anything!

Quilting

I have not done much quilting lately, but I have a couple quick stories.

And do not worry, next weekend is a “mini – retreat” for my quilt group; I’ll catch up on some things then.

Baby Quilt

My coworker had a baby and the team approached me to make a quilt for them to give.  The deal I struck with them was that I would donate my time, and they would pay me for the materials.  I felt that that was fair and they agreed.

I totally forgot about taking a good picture of the quilt before I handed it over, but here’s one from during its production…. Once again, if I leave a quilt on the floor (laying it out), a chair (taking a break from binding), etc., it means that it is now Cat Territory.

  

Retreat demands

The big retreat – the one in which we actually go out of town and sleep away from our beds – is now in the registration period.  I do not have a checkbook (they do not take cards) and do not like filling out forms, mailing them in, etc…. It’s Chris’s job to sort mail and pay bills…. I do not have stamps, envelopes, etc… I do not like filling out forms (in case I did not mention that already).

Therefore, I tasked Ana with it.  I am taking her to retreat… I am paying her way (buying her company and affection!) – it’s only fair she work for it. 

I emailed her the form.  She cannot call or text me during work, but our email systems at work like each other and we do a lot of that.  As she was filling out forms, she started barraging me with emails… “What email address do you want on forms”, “do you want your birthday published?”, “Do we have any special needs (at retreat)?”

My answer to the last one went something like this: 

• Turn down service at bedtime
• Water bottles on demand
• Masseuse, male, cute

There were a couple other things, but that was the gist of my amusement….

Ana’s email response…

“I’m so putting that all on the form”.

Glass

I am going to show a few pictures and then end this.

The latest round of beads:

And a close up of some…. Notice, I am getting better – some of them are same shape, size, etc!

Winner of the day – a gumdrop out of borosilicate glass

Runner up – the paperweight that Brandie says is the best.

The Hershey Kisses are not perfected yet

Some pendants and a piece to wire wrap (the one on the left, and, incidentally, it is also the piece that set the chair on fire)

And…. Some more paperweights!

They are round, they have designs… I’m getting better!