Learning New Techniques for my Glass Lampwork Flowers!

I played hooky Sunday and went dancing. People dance a lot in this part of Texas. We are learning how to polka and waltz. It is extreme exercise and I had trouble keeping up with couples on the dance floor who are over 80 years old! No kidding!

I’ve been working on making a fish all last week for a very patient customer and I finally finished one that I think will be perfect for her. I made 5 before I was happy. Sooo, to take a break from the ocean, my mind drifted to flowers. I want to show you some photos of flowers in my garden that are calling to me right now.

I keep coming back to certain flowers each year, trying to make them in glass, hoping my glass lampworking techniques and knowledge have expanded enough to make them.

See that little white flower in the middle of the bougainvillea? Well, I’ve started working with copper wire and adding glass to the end of the wire. It’s a little time consuming but I think it will really opens the door for more possibilities for me in making glass flowers.

Here I have make the tiny hydrangea buds on the end of the wire. Control is the worst problem with this technique. After I apply a glass dot, the wire shakes for a while before I can add another dot. And the part of the wire I am holding gets hot which forcing me to hold farther down on the wire. That compounds the movement of the wire and it shakes more! AARRGGGHHH! After a while, my hand gets tired of holding the wire and the wire shakes even more! It’s the little things that drive me crazy!

I was complaining to my son and he said, “Mom, why don’t you use the wire twisting grip?” DUH…So I shall see how that works tomorrow!

I’ve been playing around with hydrangea flowers as individuals. I’m hoping to use these same glass techniques when I attempt to make this Pride of Barbados flower.

I’m thinking that these individual hydrangea flowers mixed with the buds would look fabulous weaved along a necklace. I have a vision in the back of my head of a garland type look. I’m going to make wires with tiny buds so that it fills the center of the flower. The wire will go through the hole of the flower.

Here’s a popcorn flower (senna) that would lend itself nicely for these same glass lampwork techniques. Just need to work out a lot of bugs with experimenting. I’m sure some frustration will be involved as well.

Then there’s the issue of layering petals of flowers! I’ve tried to put more than one glass flower together last year to build a layered effect. The results were slung in the trash! I figured it’s time to try again. And I want to give digitalis a try again. I have an extremely sweet lady who would love to have some! I wish I didn’t need sleep!

What are you struggling with? Let me know in the comments!

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