Third Time Is A Charm...Or Not

     Yay!!  I finished cutting the glass for this panel. When I got to the last piece, a lily petal, I thought "Easy..."  Not.  The first one snapped in half. The second one, AND the third one didn't fit. Finally, I remade the pattern piece, cut it one more time and (cue the chorus) it fit!  I dusted off most of the glass dust, some of the dried DNA, and am ready to foil.

I Can Only Cut One Piece At A Time

    I started to get a little overwhelmed with the project today. Will I get it done in a timely manner?  Will it be ok? Will the congregation be happy with the result?  Will I EVER be done cutting out these lilies?  I had to remind myself that I can only cut one piece of glass at a time. The big picture is just a little scary, but I can do one piece. Life is like that too sometimes.
   At the end of the day, I completed the background, some of the foreground, and one of the lilies. Tomorrow is a new day.

Six Hour Limit

I think my limit is about six hours bending over the glass table. When it stops being fun and becomes a chore, it's time to put the cutter down and call it a day. I was hoping to get everything cut out today except the lilies, but that didn't happen. Tomorrow is go-to-town day, so I won't be able to cut any more until Friday.

Pay Attention

     What a great day!  I felt like I got quite a bit done on the center panel. First I put the border on the top and bottom, then started cutting the morning sky. I love, love this glass! It looks so different depending on whether the light is shining on it or through it. At first I was concerned that it would be too...dramatic?  Too...colorful?  Too...something. But really, it represents a dramatic event...a miracle! The glass I am using for the cross is a granite ripple, which means lots of texture on the front side. It also means the freshly cut edges are lethally sharp until I run them through the grinder. It sure makes me pay attention.








      I anticipate two...maybe three more full days of cutting before I can start foiling. Those lilies at the bottom seem to take forever to do!

Memorial Day: A Day Of Reflection

    Today I finished soldering and polishing the first panel for the Risen Cross window. As I worked I thought about the parallels and differences between the meaning of Memorial Day and the meaning of the Risen Cross. America's soldiers died defending freedom. Christ died to show God's unending love. There are those that would argue that one is the polar opposite of the other. In my mind, there are some humbling parallels.

   I was able to lay out the second panel for the window this evening before calling it quits for the day.

Up Off The Table

    I finished soldering the first side of this panel today. I was a little nervous about rolling it up and seeing the light through this glass. It's always a surprise when you see it with light the first time. It will take me a day to complete the soldering on the second side, and another day to clean and polish both sides.

Lilies Defined

 

I finally got the panel foiled. In the same way that the foil set off the wheat in the prior window, the lilies come to life with the foil here.
   The first two windows went so quickly. This one is just dragging and it seemed to take forever to get to this point. Somehow I keep getting pulled to other things. It's a lot easier to stay on task during the winter.

But Wait!

   I got up this morning and was raring to go.
   But wait!
   I need to dust and do some housecleaning. After doing what my mom used to call "a lick and a promise", I started toward my work room.
   But wait!
   The ground is tilled and the potatoes need to go in the ground. Ditto the winter squash. The asparagus needs attention, and the berries need netting. I need to tie up the raspberries.
    I broke for lunch then finally got to cut some glass. I was able to finish the cutting for this panel.
    Maybe, just maybe, I can get some foiling done tomorrow after church.

 

Still Cutting

   It doesn't seem like four hours of work when I look at it, but it is. The little pieces are so time consuming. I started on the lilies this afternoon expecting to finish cutting the glass for this panel. That didn't happen. I'll have a few hours tomorrow, then off for a quick family visit.

Another Two-Bandaid Day

     Just time for a little bit of cutting today. It's a two-bandaid day, which is usually a sign that I need to stop. I did get most of the foreground done though, with the exception of the lilies.