Glass Blowing!

Today was the day, Courtney & I started out in Duvall at the annual plant sale.  This is a fund-raising event for the community & we were both pretty amazed at the amount & variety of plants available for really decent prices.

Blown ornaments & floats

Courtney had mentioned that she wanted to try glass blowing a few weeks ago & asked if I was interested?  Yes!  I love glass & have always been intrigued by the process.  So when she emailed me that the class was scheduled & to consider it an early Mother's Day present - I was thrilled :-)

After the plant sale, we drove over the ridge to Redmond & enjoyed an incredible lunch at the Pomegranate Bistro.  The menu was a somewhat strange combination of NW cuisine, along with "biscuit's & gravy" items that made you think of Grandma's on a Sunday morning.  We splurged with the Savannah Hot Puffs!  Melt-in-your-mouth puffs of a very light pastry, covered in cinnamon, sugar & served with fresh whipped cream!   There was even a TV personality having lunch with his family while we were there :-)

Near by is the Redmond School of Glass, where we were scheduled for the 1 p.m. class.  There were probably five couples who joined us.  The artisans working at the studio were very helpful & straight forward as they started with the most important aspect of working around hot, molten glass - SAFETY!  Where to hold the rods, where Not to!  Where to lean or sit & where Not to!

Red Hot Temperatures

 Next was the description of the tools we would be using & the choices we would have to the colors of the glass that were available.  Finally - we watched a demonstration of the entire process - twice!  We asked for twice!

Dipping the molten glass into the colors

Courtney went first & decided on a combination of green, then moved over & added blue the next time the glass was re-heated. 

Working the glass at the bench

It was a two-person project, as one of you worked the glass, the other blew into the end of the tube!  I didn't get a photo of this - I was blowing!  It took a Lot more air than either Courtney or I imagined to get the glass to expand.  The pole is long & the tube we used was relatively small in diameter.

Finished products~

Once the correct size, our "art" was taken away to be either capped for a float, or topped with a hook for an ornament.  Above are some of the ornaments that are for sale, we didn't do this type, with the "sprinkles" & had to wait to take ours home.  The glass balls have to cool slowly to prevent cracking.  Can't wait to see how ours turned out next week!