"Face That's a Vase"

Materials:

fusible glass
accessory glasses:
- stringer
- frit
circle templates
high temp wire
fiber paper
flowers
kiln
glasscutter
glass breaking pliers
safety glasses
grinding machine
permanent marker
candle
dish soap and water
round nose pliers
various beads

1. Draw the desired design on paper.

2. Create a half circle paper template (figure A), place it on yellow glass and cut out using a glasscutter and glass breaking pliers.

3. Cut out circles of turquoise glass for cheeks using a circle template to trace the circles on glass (figure B). Draw facial features for eyes, lips on the glass freehand with a permanent marker. Using glasscutters and glass breaking pliers cut them out.

4. Grind the edges of the glass pieces smooth using a grinding machine.

5. Hold a piece of black stringer over a candle flame and bend it to make eyebrows. Cut two small rectangles of blue glass for placing over the eyebrows. Use two small black pieces of frit for eyes and a blue piece of fit for the nose (figure C).

6. Cut a clear piece of glass to match the yellow half circle piece. Place the clear half circle in the kiln, put a half circle of fiber paper cut slightly smaller than the glass on top (figure D), then place the yellow half circle with the arranged facial elements on top (figure E). After firing the fiber paper will create a space or reservoir for the flowers. In the space between, embed half circle pieces of high temp wire at the top corners of the circle for hanging and at the sides for adding dangling beads.

7. Fire the piece in the kiln.

8. Remove the cooled piece from kiln. Remove the fiber paper (figure F). Wash the piece with soap and water.

9. String beads onto wire and close with round nose pliers. Attach the bead dangles to the wires on the side of the glass piece (figure G).

10. Put flowers in the reservoir to resemble hair (figure H).

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