It has taken many years for me to get round to it… but I have finally hosted my first stained glass class!

A lovely lady contacted me after seeing my work at an exhibition. She had had some beginner lessons with someone else a long time before and wanted to have a refresher class. She particularly liked my little boat sculptures and wanted to learn how to make one.

We agreed a date and I set up the studio for her. I am left-handed with a soldering iron and she is right-handed, so I moved my usual set-up around so she could work comfortably.

First I gave her some clear glass to practise cutting. Once she was comfortable with that, she chose some coloured glasses. These would form her boats.

I put some sample sculptures out for inspiration. I reckoned she would have time to make two pieces as it was a full day class.

She chose a wooden block and a stone from a selection to form her bases. She sanded the wood to remove splinters.

Then she cut her boats and sails out. At this point I realised I was making her do some quite tricky work as it is a lot harder to cut small pieces of glass than large ones. Having worked with glass for so many years, I forget that it is not an easy or natural thing for most people!

My pupil persevered until she had cut all the pieces needed – including some tiny flags for the top of the masts. Next, she ground off the rough edges with the grinder and dried the glass ready to apply the copper foil. She particularly enjoyed the grinding process.

Once the foiling was completed, she ‘tinned’ each piece with solder, before assembling the boats.

Another fiddly stage was applying the patina. This had to be painted on to the soldered areas carefully, particularly on the wooden block, which would stain if she made a mistake. Happily, she completed this confidently.

A further challenging step was to attach the wire embellishments. With guidance, she added her chosen charms and decorations to complete two very accomplished artworks.

We had a very enjoyable day as she was a quick learner and a very friendly lady too. Well done, Sue! You should be very proud.

If you would like to try a stained glass class with me – tailored to your preference and ability – please contact me on 01329 830172 or email: linda@orchidstainedglass.co.uk . At the moment I am only offering individual tuition, so you will get my undivided attention.

Stained Glass Class gift vouchers will be coming soon if you wish to treat someone to a unique birthday or Christmas gift.