Stained glass has always mesmerized me.  The magical play of sunlight throuh these gems inside a dim church interior fascinated me as a child. 

Like so many things that I admire, I never wondered how difficult it was to create.  Most of my life I've been a solid admirer as opposed to a creator.  But when my husband spotted news of a stained glass evening class at Penn State Altoona, I signed right up! 

It turns out that creating stained glass items is a fairly precise art, although you, as creator, control everything.  You begin with a paper design, which you cut into pieces, numbering each one.  These are lightly glued to pieces of glass, which you then score and break along your scored lines.  A water-based grinder is used to smooth all edges.  Now it gets more difficult, as you grind and fit, grind and fit, until the pieces actually come together like a jigsaw puzzle. 

All edges are then foiled, most likely with copper, and soldered.  The finished piece can be washed and polished.

In our home we have several stained glass pieces, only two small ones that I created.  Three multicolored items hang in windows to catch the morning sun.  There is no finer way to begin a day than by enjoying a hot cup of tea while watching the light wash marvelous colors onto the walls and floor.