My Facebook page ....

Started a page on Facebook an while back with photo's and links about GLASS.
Have a look and if you like ............ please LIKE !

https://www.facebook.com/TigemaGlaskunst

First repair job.

Recently somebody asked to repair an old window from the 1930s. Never did something like that before and I like a challenge.

This is what it looked like when the person brought it in.

One of the pieces was broken. A glass-friend had an almost similar glass panel I could buy from her and the owner and I decided to replace all the pieces of the same colour.

Most challenging I found was removing the lead. Very easy to break the glass you see :-)  But nothing happened and after a while the glass was free of broken, and dirty lead and pulverised plaster which was used for making the window water tight. Dusty job as you can see here!

Before starting this I did read about the safety conditions working with (old) lead. For instance the dust from the old lead is very unhealthy and to prevent this dust flying around the lead cames and strips should be made wet before you start working on it.

Second challenge was cleaning the glass. I tried a few methods like rubbing with steel wool, soaking the glass in a water and soap solution, and in water with a dishwasher tablet in it, in water hydrochloric acid (mixed with water).

The hydrochloric aced worked best (with the worst smell....) but the glass was clean. 

New lead was used to put the window together again and this is the result:

New life, regeneration, growth, strength and peace.

Found inspiration in a picture I saw on a site of a Maori symbols and specially liked the KORU symbol. This is the website: http://www.squidoo.com/koru-maori-design : The Maori Koru design is scroll/ spiral shaped and is derived from the frond of the New Zealand fern plant. 'Koru' is the Maori word for the new unfurling fern frond. The pattern is used in many Maori and New Zealand art forms and symbolizes 

new life, regeneration, growth, strength and peace. 

For many this design is the symbol for renewal, hope for the future. Because everything continues and is reborn. Or as the ancient Greeks said: 'Panta Rhei': everything flows.

My life going as it does I can relate to these wise words. 
Hope you like the panel I made.

The new window in it's place!

Finally the Tiffany window is finished. As the sun shines so beautiful in our kitchen I had a first look at it in the kitchen window and I'm really pleased with it.

Scroll down to see the photo's of where this window was made for.

A look from the outside.

And here from the inside. 

(So difficult to make a good photo!)

Never ever quit! Opgeven is geen optie!

Isn't it wonderful that sometimes somebody surprises you.
In my case a cousin took it upon himself last year to start training to cycle the Alp d'Hu Zes fund raising action.
This is a cycling tour of the Alpe d'Huez which is one of the main mountains in the Central French Alps, 3.330 meters high and the climb is 13.8 km at an average 7.9 per cent, with 21 hairpin bends!

His plan was to cycle this mountain 3 times in one day. Not alone but together with thousands of other hero's.
Eventually he managed it 4 times, every time in honour of a family members who fought cancer, and the third time he had said was for me! WOW! That is fantastic.

To explain about the fund raising, here is a part of the text I copied from their website (http://www.opgevenisgeenoptie.nl/missionvisionuk)
"Alpe d'HuZes was created with the aim to empower people to convert the sense of powerlessness, caused by cancer, into one of strength. We achieve this by motivating as many people as possible to constantly challenge and expand their boundaries. Alpe d'HuZes wants to raise funds to fight cancer by cycling up the Alpe d'Huez six times in one day. The name, Alpe d'Huzes, is a combination of the Dutch word for "six" and the name of the mountain
Alpe d'HuZes is founded on the absolute belief that you can attain the greatest possible satisfaction if you put your heart and soul into helping others."

Because of this I could not sit still and started making a glass panel for him to remember this special day.

On top it says : ALP dHU 6 and at the bottom his initials WH and MMXXII (2012),

This is fun

Since making things with glass I found that creating something like a panel or a window is very satisfying.
I was surprised though that after making a panel for a friend I found it almost hard to part with it.
With this window I will not have that problem as it will be placed in front of a side window in our livingroom.

The design has a special meaning and when I have finished cutting the pieces I'll post a new photo and then I'll explain how to "read" the window.

The pattern

This is the pattern with the intended colours. I found really nice glass to work with and that of course will look so much better than a drawing.

Back for more .... reprise

I hope nobody notices the gap of 4 months between the very, if I may say so myself: enthousiastic post last time saying "Back for more",  and this one. :-)
Anyway, time flies when you're having fun and it is true as some renovations at home came first and the livingroom looks great.
Also, designing a window or panel is much more difficult then making one. I have difficulties putting my ideas in a drawing on paper or in a computer program and then it takes time to work out the colours and which glass to use.  Problems, problems....

But here it is: my latest and very own design.  I have drawn it (like my other windows) on green paper which is actually wall paper and easy to draw on because of the lines and using it when I have cut out all the different pieces I find it very strong and a little water resistant which is good.

As I have had a somewhat difficult time over the past year and a half, I have tried to symbolise this experience and my little family of 3, who have helped and supported me so much, in the design.
In my next post I'll put in a photo with a little more colour so you will have an idea of how it will look when finished.

Back for more...

It's been a while since my last post, but I'm back.
Our livingroom has been renovated and the door with the stained glass window has been painted in a creamy white colour. We think it looks so much better.

View from the hall.

We have been busy :-)  and we also moved all my glass-stuff from my room upstairs to the garage, which gives me a lot more working space and I've started on 2 projects already.