Adult ed class enjoys stained glass work
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ST. IGNATIUS — From the giggling coming from the Mission High School art building Monday evening, you might think that some teenagers stayed late after school.
But this is an adult education class of six or eight people crafting stained and etched glass Christmas ornaments under the direction of instructor Marilynn Tanner.
The process is simple with the right equipment:
First, find or design a pattern for your ornament and make two copies, one to use while cutting out the glass pieces and one to help you arrange the cut pieces.
Then choose your glass; glue the pattern to it; cut out the glass and grind down the edges so everything fits together smoothly.
When you’re satisfied with the pieces, wrap the glass edges in copper foil and solder to hold it all together.
“Then put a hangar on it, and you’ve got your project,” Tanner said.
Projects can be as simple or complex as the students choose; they’ll make at least four or five glass ornaments before the four-week class is over. The ornaments make great Christmas gifts, and students and instructor agree, designing the crafts is also quite entertaining.
“We’re having a lot of fun,” Tanner said.
She’s worked with stained glass for 35 years and enjoys sharing her expertise with one or two adult education classes each winter. And thanks to her generosity, all materials and equipment — colored glass, patterns, soldering irons and solder, glass grinders, etc. — are included in the price of the course, usually $25 to $30 depending on the size of the projects.
“I have a pretty good investment in this, (but) it’s ok. I have a good time,” Tanner said, smiling.
Her students have a good time too, and some of them return year after year, like Sharon Toussaint, who comes over from Charlo for the class.
“It’s fun; there’s definitely a knack to it,” Toussaint said of working with glass. “It really makes you appreciate when you go to a church with beautiful stained glass — you think, ‘How did they do that?’”
Tanner will teach a more intensive stained glass class starting in January. For more information, contact Jo Phillips at the St. Ignatius School at 745-3811 ext. 235.
