A few weeks before the first lockdown, which feels like a lifetime ago now, my neighbour Sarah bought her husband Simon a voucher for my ‘Make a stained glass panel in a day’ course. It was something she knew he’d always yearned to try. We all harbour a dream- mine was to windsurf, which my husband bought me a voucher to do when I was pregnant with my son. I re-adjusted my dreams there as it wasn’t something I was interested in doing after having a c section, but I digress!
Anyway, he’d pencilled in the date at the end of the February half term, soon after he and Sarah returned from a trip to the other side of the world, where it felt like this strange and scary virus was chasing them back to Britain! I was a bit worried tbh. Should I ask him to wear a mask? Should I keep the windows open? All ridiculous ideas! It chucked it down all day, while we beavered through an intense 6 hours of rapid learning. How lovely to be teaching a fellow leftie* my goodness, he took to it so well, he had a natural flair and ability, really understood how to listen for the right tone when scoring the glass, and I’m sure we felt a mutual affinity when it came to soldering- you see most people watch a leftie doing something and are convinced they’re doing it wrong!
*left handed
Simon’s first stained glass panel
Simon decided to take the long walk home to next door for his lunch where he’d put a delicatessen cheese aside as a treat to make his day even more special. The rain kept coming down, it was torrential for most of the afternoon, but we hardly noticed as stained glass is super absorbing (and as usual it was super snug and toasty in my garden studio). We could hear the occasional birdsong, they know the rain brings up the worms. One of the best parts of teaching someone to make a panel, in a day, is when the final scrub of the cement is complete and they pick their creation up to the light, as this is what brings the true beauty of stained glass to life, Simon had chosen such a beautiful combination of colours, and I may add, hadn’t needed to re-cut any of the pieces for a better fit (something I cannot guarantee to many of my students!) Well he seemed pretty happy and a few days later, I looked out of my studio window to see it hanging in his conservatory. Another satisfied customer, which was a relief as he wouldn’t have had far to walk if he had a complaint!
Skip forward to this year, 2021. Well so much has happened. Usually we have got drunk with our ‘neighbs’ once or twice in a year, but due to Covid, that hasn’t happened, just our catch-ups over the fence. But, as they know, I’m a bit of a nosey neighbour, and in the cold of the new year, I spied an extension cable weaving down to their shed, and heard the familiar sound of a grinder (the machine that makes glass smooth and evens out any imperfections.) Then I spotted an Instagram post. Within a week of securing a haul of glass from ebay, Simon was already posting his wonderful creations. Wow! I was a very proud teacher.
So if you are considering trying a new craft, I provide one day workshops in both stained glass and mosaics (not quite as much accuracy needed). I also do vouchers, so if you’ve got a birthday, or special occasion and people are asking for gift ideas, why not get them to get in touch with me for a voucher. Who knows what it might lead to? A fantastic experience to enjoy with a friend or loved one, or even the start of new and fulfilling hobby?
After the year we’ve had I think we all want to embrace new experiences, and creativity is one bug that’s fun to pass on.
If you’re interested in coming to one of my stained glass workshops hop over to my workshop pages or drop me an email Nicola@mrsmosaicart.co.uk
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