How to Make a Sunny Glass Tile Coaster

Materials and Tools:

System 96 fusible glass: black iridescent, clear, opaque, yellow, light green, dark green
glass stamping medium
high-fire glass paints (white and black)
glass fire kiln
glasscutters
ruler
glass breaking tool
rubber or plastic stamp
brayer
quilt square pattern
metal "L" channel
push pins
homasote board or ceiling tile

Steps:

1. Cut a 4-inch square piece of tile from black iridescent fusible glass. This will be the bottom tile. Cut the top piece of tile from the clear fusible glass in a 4-inch square.

2. Select colors (yellow, green) for the quilt pattern.

3. Cut the glass pieces that you will be stamping to the size of the stamp.

4. Separately mix the black and white high-fire glass paint with the stamping medium.

5. Transfer the paint to the stamp using a brayer.

6. Place the glass over the stamp and press firmly to stamp the image on the colored glass. Stamp the yellow piece of glass with black paint and green piece of glass with white paint.

7. Tack fire the stamped pieces around 1300-1350 degrees F. The paint will melt into the glass surface.

8. When the fired pieces are cool, cut them into perfect squares that match the quilt design using a glasscutter, a ruler and a glass-breaking tool. Cut some of the squares in half diagonally according to the quilt design. Make sure that all burrs and flares are removed.

9. Place the quilt pattern on a piece of Homasote board. Line up two pieces of "L" channel at a 90-degree angle and anchor with push pins pressed into the board. Place the glass squares and triangles on top of the quilt pattern.

10. Coat the kiln shelf with kiln wash. Then, stack the three layers in the kiln. Start with the bottom layer (black iridescent, iridescent side down); arrange all the pieces making up the quilt pattern on top of the bottom layer. Place the clear cover sheet over the design.

11. Fire the tile to a full fuse.