Stained Glass

 My cousin Margie out in Michigan decided to take up stained glass as a hobby.  When she posted it and said she was looking for "guinea pigs" to make some pieces for, I volunteered!   She was adamant that she was an amateur, and that she would be slow, and that I shouldn't expect a perfect piece. I was quite alright with that.  It's her hobby, so I wanted her to take her time and enjoy it.

We started out by finding just the right idea.   I told her something "floral" would be nice, so she pulled out her Pinterest folder and sent me this idea:

It was perfect!!!   My Mom's favorite flower was the Brown-Eyed Susan, so I couldn't have thought of a better choice.   We discussed color, and the only change we made was to make the border green instead of blue to better match my living room.

Margie kept me updated as the procedure continued:

First she needed to create the pattern.  

Then all the pieces needed to be cut meticulously out of the sheets of glass.  She had to buy a sheet of glass for each color she used.  

Looks like she started from the middle and worked her way out.   The green is waiting in the background to be place around the frame.

A little preview with light shining behind it.

The framing went on last.

What I really love is that the glass is not all plain flat glass.  There is some texture on the gold

and the white edging is prism shaped

Margie wrapped it all up in an artists box and shipped it to me.  I was so excited to receive that box!  And I couldn't believe the beauty of the piece.

She sent some chain - and it took us a little figuring to determine the best way to hang it in the window.   Finally, Hubby screwed some hooks directly into the window frame.

We put it in the window facing the backyard because that's where the sun sets.  I had to wait for a weekend to take some photos of the sun shining through it -  it's dark by the time I come home from work!

I'm so extremely pleased with this gorgeous piece of work!  My cousin Margie is very talented!  Thank you so much for making me such a beautiful keepsake and memorial to my Mom!