Good First Project

[Lou Ann]

I was approached awhile back to teach someone how to do the copper foil method... she is well versed in mosaics and thought it would be cool to learn something else...

Looking for suggestions for a good first pattern for someone with minimal glass cutting experience? She wants her first project to be something fairly easy that will give her an idea as to whether she is going to like it or not; I thought geometric was a little more neutral than most other things I have patterns for...

the picture below is a few of the ones I'm thinking -- the starfish is questionable because of the inside curves...

[Scooch]

Any of those shown would be good.  I think the criteriea is a relatively simple design, free of any tight inside curves.

[Anne]

Any of those shown would be good.  I think the criteriea is a relatively simple design, free of any tight inside curves.

I'd agree. The simpler the better for the first piece I think.

[Lou Ann]

thanks for the help...

my first project was a 16"x16" panel that was all straight lines... so I wasn't sure if I was expecting too much with the slight curves of some of these.

Lou Ann

[Bleedy Pokes]

I think they're all good examples to use as a first pattern! Hopefully she'll choose one with some curves... that way if she loves the whole process, she won't be too intimidated to try something curvy.

I like the last one shown... all gentle curves with a few straight lines. Is it your own pattern? If so, can I use it for my son? I've been showing him how to do stained glass, but he's only completed two pieces (both the same pattern!), he keeps getting frustrated and giving up on some of the more challenging pieces. Ahem, I can relate to that!

[Audrey]

Definately both straight lines and curves that are not narrow or deep. This way she will get the feel of both. The lady who first taught me wanted me to just do straight lines, but I much prefer pieces with curves and flow, so we found a pattern with about 20 pieces that had both. It worked well.

[Kev]

I agree..any of them would suit a newbie. might as well learn curves right at the beginning, and these are gentle curves.

[Graham]

Look for the book "15 Pieces or Less"

Great first projects with enough variety to make it interesting. Floral, landscape, nature, sports. The whole gamut.

It was, for many years, out "Text of Choice" for students.

[Lou Ann]

I think they're all good examples to use as a first pattern! Hopefully she'll choose one with some curves... that way if she loves the whole process, she won't be too intimidated to try something curvy.

I like the last one shown... all gentle curves with a few straight lines. Is it your own pattern? If so, can I use it for my son? I've been showing him how to do stained glass, but he's only completed two pieces (both the same pattern!), he keeps getting frustrated and giving up on some of the more challenging pieces. Ahem, I can relate to that!

I'm assuming by the last one you mean the one on the bottom right -- according to what I have in the properties in glasseye, this is a spectrum pattern that was in the Score #91 ; it is also available in their pattern gallery online (select all and keep scrolling it's 3 rows up from the bottom and called geometric pinwheel)

Lou Ann

[PiscesGlass]

I always start a complete newbie out cutting various shapes on a piece of regular window glass..that way they aren't messing up the "real" thing while they're learning to handle the cutter..of course you might also want to explain that window glass is going to cut and break much more easily than most SG is.
I have my students draw, with a sharpie, a few straight lines..a circle and banana shaped pieces so that they can learn right off the bat how to cut inside curves correctly..because sooner or later they are going to need to know how to do it.

Any of those projects would be suitable, I think, for a beginner.  Good luck and have lots of fun with it!

De

[Amber]

Having just gone through this, for the one and only **, time I think one of the first couple flowers are good. I had drawn up a butterfly for my friend and it was way to complicated and so I switched to a fast flower, much like what you have, and had way better results. And that was all after some test glass as Pisces said, something I never thought of until the moment hit and it was time to cut some glass *l.

[Lou Ann]

thanks everyone for the input, I'm going to email these to her and let her pick one so I can have it printed for Tuesday...

I always start a complete newbie out cutting various shapes on a piece of regular window glass..that way they aren't messing up the "real" thing while they're learning to handle the cutter..of course you might also want to explain that window glass is going to cut and break much more easily than most SG is.
I have my students draw, with a sharpie, a few straight lines..a circle and banana shaped pieces so that they can learn right off the bat how to cut inside curves correctly..because sooner or later they are going to need to know how to do it.

Any of those projects would be suitable, I think, for a beginner.  Good luck and have lots of fun with it!

De

Thanks De,

Fortunately this lady has cut some glass before -- not sure how much but I will keep the shapes in mind; I'll find out on Tuesday. I did do that when I tried to teach my friend's daughter a few years back...

Look for the book "15 Pieces or Less"

Great first projects with enough variety to make it interesting. Floral, landscape, nature, sports. The whole gamut.

It was, for many years, out "Text of Choice" for students.

thanks Graham,  I'll have to see if they still have that one at Hobby Lobby especially where she has already told me she has a mosaic student who also wants to learn copper foil...

[Rebecca]

Lou Ann, I definitely would NOT use all straight cuts.  You need to teach curves right from the start.  And doing a few practice cuts on plain window glass is a good idea, but DON'T say that the stained glass will be harder to cut.  People will think that means to press harder when they score which is exactly what you don't want. 

Rebecca

[JoanFrances]

Rebecca, what about the cutting trick you had posted a while ago about teaching pressure on a piece of paper for the students to learn how to score glass properly?   That was a great insight. 

[ct4mom]

Teaching all cuts is the way to go. When I learned the teacher never explained inside cuts and I had a lot of broken glass before she explained.

[Bleedy Pokes]

I think they're all good examples to use as a first pattern! Hopefully she'll choose one with some curves... that way if she loves the whole process, she won't be too intimidated to try something curvy.
I like the last one shown... all gentle curves with a few straight lines. Is it your own pattern? If so, can I use it for my son? I've been showing him how to do stained glass, but he's only completed two pieces (both the same pattern!), he keeps getting frustrated and giving up on some of the more challenging pieces. Ahem, I can relate to that!

I'm assuming by the last one you mean the one on the bottom right -- according to what I have in the properties in glasseye, this is a spectrum pattern that was in the Score #91 ; it is also available in their pattern gallery online (select all and keep scrolling it's 3 rows up from the bottom and called geometric pinwheel)
Lou Ann

You assumed correctly! Yep, I was eyeing that pinwheel, I just couldn't think of the word "pinwheel" when I saw it! I'll check out Spectrum's site for that pattern. It's definitely a good one for a kid like Liam... he wants to start and finish it all in one day! Thanks for the info.
End of thread hijack...

[Rebecca]

Rebecca, what about the cutting trick you had posted a while ago about teaching pressure on a piece of paper for the students to learn how to score glass properly?   That was a great insight. 

You fold a piece of regular printer paper in half.  Put in on a smooth hard surface like a piece of glass or smooth countertop.  Make a score from one side to the other.  The top sheet of paper should tear apart easily.  The bottom piece of paper should not tear apart.  If the top one doesn't tear, you didn't have enough pressure in your score.  If they both tear easily, you had too much pressure.

Rebecca

[Lou Ann]

Teaching all cuts is the way to go. When I learned the teacher never explained inside cuts and I had a lot of broken glass before she explained.

that was my thoughts too -- my first project was all straight cuts (didn't have to pick up the groziers once) and my second project was a lot more detailed -- I got to pick my own and I did the spectrum pattern of the little boy fishing as an oval inside a rectangular frame and got chastized when I tried to cut one of the outside border pieces that went around the oval and broke it...

I sent the patterns to the lady and she likes the pinwheel one on the bottom as well so that will probably be it unless she changes her mind before Tuesday.

Lou Ann

[Anne]

reading this thread takes me back to when I was taught to do glass. The glass was given by a volunteer in a city run facility.  There were 6 of us in the class.  She started the first class by giving us a history of glass and Tiffany that took up the whole first class. All us strangers were looking at each other and rolling our eyes. We were told to come to the second class with our own glass cutters.  I had no idea what a glass cutter was and she didn't tell us. When we got to the second class we were given two sun catcher 4 piece patterns to choose from and two boxes of scrap to go through to find the glass we wanted to use.  I was REALLY green - I chose a piece of opal champagne for a butterfly (duh). We were told to make a pattern from tissue, tape it on to the glass then cut it out, grind it, foil it (she actually did demo that) and solder it together.  Looking back I think she was almost as much an amateur as we were.  Questions were met with a stare and we were felt to feel stupid for having to ask. The first project took two classes to finish then she told us to pick our next project. No direction on which way to go of course.  I chose to do a box, one of the grils chose to make a lamp (!!) and one of the others chose to do a huge panel - a zillion pieces in it and she foiled it.  I wonder now if she finished it - she was still foiling when the classes ended, and if she did how long it held together. We weren't taught anything about strength of your piece. BUT..... what we weren't taught (and my real reason for this long story) is she never taught/told us anything about the glass. Sure she gave us the history but it would have been helpful to know there were all kinds of glass manufacturers ie: Spectrum, Wissmach, etc and it was a real revelation to me when I figured out what RR, Rip, W, A etc meant!!!  We also weren't taught about looking after our equipment - as in remove your grinder head regularly - found that one out when I went to move it and it was like it was welded to my grinder. 

When I look back I'm surprised I perservered and managed to learn what I did. It would have been much easier had I found you guys many years ago but I had to learn by trial and error and it really would have been nice to have had an experienced teacher.  And don't take me wrong I'm not saying that any of you that do teach aren't good teachers I just thought I'd share my learning experience.

[Graham]

Your experience, Anne, is not that unusual. There are a lot more people out there teaching than have any right to be doing so.

It's like - "OK. I've finished my first project, and that went well. I guess I'm ready to start teaching now."

[BentPedals]

she is well versed in mosaics and thought it would be cool to learn something else...
Looking for suggestions for a good first pattern for someone with minimal glass cutting experience?

I'd say any of your choices would be good Lou Ann.  A lot would depend on how adept she is.
Get her to take some practice scores on scrap glass. If she handles the practice comfortably
I'd do the project with the inside curves. As mentioned, they aren't overly difficult cuts.  If all
you give her is straight cuts and she is somewhat adept, I'd be concerned about her getting
bored or perhaps even over confident.