Stained Glass Snowflake
Kimberly Giuffrida, via email
This stained glass snowflake was made by Kimberly Giuffrida, who shared it on the Capper’s Farmer DIY Group on Facebook. Photo by Kimberly Giuffrida
I’ve been doing stained glass for nearly two years now, and I find the best way to learn is to find pictures of designs I like, and then figure out how they were made. Being a graphic designer, I’m able to look at a design and draw up a pattern. At this point, I consider myself a craftsman rather than an artist.
For this particular piece, I drew up a pattern based on one I saw online, modifying the design a bit. From there, I cut 120 pieces by cutting each shape six times. After that, I used a glass grinder to smooth and tweak each piece to fit. To assemble the snowflake, I used the copper foil method and foiled around each piece so that the solder would hold the pieces together. Then I applied a black patina so the metal didn’t take away any focus from the sparkle of the glass. The whole process took about two weeks, working on it a couple of hours each night.
I’m looking forward to continued learning and eventually creating my own designs and becoming a stained-glass artist.
I donated the snowflake to be auctioned off as part of an Adopt a Family fundraiser.
Owl Pillow
Jeanie Baskin, via email
This owl pillow was created by Jeanie Baskin, who shared it with the Capper’s Farmer DIY Group on Facebook. Photo by Jeanie Baskin
This pillow was created for a friend’s daughter. My passion for hooking rugs using old wool clothing sparked an interest in repurposing sweaters.
I drew a simple owl pattern, then rummaged through my stash of felted sweaters. The shape of the owl was created with a gray wool, which was reinforced with fusible webbing. Using a durable vintage thread, I blanket-stitched the outer seam. Accents were added using colorful sweater pieces and embroidery floss, and wool rug hooking strips were sewn to the tufts for a whimsical look. Then the pillow was stuffed.