Hestia...... gets fused and slumped

I'm fairly getting into this glass stuff.  I signed up for a workshop on 'fusing and slumping' which has nothing to do with becoming a drunk electrician.

There were six of us standing nervously outside the glass workshop on Saturday afternoon.  We all shook hands and introduced ourselves.  Everyone had some experience of working with glass but I think I was the only one who had never fused glass.  Virgin.

Inside we got coffee and told each other a wee bit about our glass experience.  I basically led off my spiel by saying that they better have plenty elastoplasts in stock and asking whether blood made terrible stains on fused glass..... I think I was joking.

We each produced our pattern - mine was a cartoon mouse for a cheese board.  I had in my head a black background, a white mouse and, erm, cheese-coloured cheese.  But of course you cannot trace through black glass!  So it became a blue mouse on clear glass and I even ventured an attempt at painting some wording.

Anyway, enough of the chat.  Here's my work:

This is my fat little mouse, traced off and painted in some kind of black ink for firing in the kiln

And this is my fat little mouse in blue.  With cheddar cheese.  I should have picked something with more glass - it was a fusing and slumping workshop afterall.

This is him on Sunday morning with the glass fused and my 'cheese pleese' on both sides of the dish.  Also, floorboards.  It is sitting on top of a shallow square mould and will slowly slump into it as the temperature comes up again when the kiln is closed.

Behind you see Ellie's take on a Charles Rennie-McIntosh piece.  Hers will slump into an arc, over the top of the stainless steel mould it is balanced upon.

We pick up our completed items at some point this week.  I also made some coasters because I wanted to play more with the coloured glass....and frit.....and ink....and everything that the glass workshop had that we could play with!

Marvellous fun!

I came home to the news that Murray had won Wimbledon - so perfect end to a fantastic weekend!

Except....

Tartarus had been on child-care duties all weekend and over a quiet beer at a friend's bbq I got to hear exactly how my son had spent his weekend.  And it wasn't good.

But I'll tell you about that during the week.

For now - feast your eyes on my little mouse and cheeeeese!!!

PS - I did not cut myself at all!!!! I am improving!!!!