Featured Member: GetGlassy

Hudson Valley Etsy Team's April featured member shop is GetGlassy, the fused glass creations of Patti Ursel. Congratulations!

her booth at the 2012 Fishkill show

One busy April evening, I got a chance to speak with Patti about her wonderful works in fused glass!  I certainly learned a lot about the process, but first a bit of background on this lovely lady.  Patti has always been a crafter, starting with crocheting when she was only 7, from there going on to knitting and then everything from polymer clay to stained glass.  So how did GetGlassy get started? Patti had spent years working for an advertising firm in NYC before moving to the Hudson Valley and taking an early retirement.  She promptly got bored and started taking a stained glass class.  Through this, she learned much about glass but was continually drawn towards the fused glass process, eventually breaking down, buying a kiln, and becoming a self-taught fused glass artist. And thus GetGlassy was born in March of 2007!

Fish (SOLD) by GetGlassy

Fused glass itself is an interesting and relatively new practice especially when compared to the long histories of blown glass, lamp work, and stained glass.  It involves cutting different types of sheet glass, then layering and fusing them together inside a kiln to create the desired effect.  Glass kilns run a bit cooler than ceramics kilns, going from 1,300-1,500 degrees Fahrenheit depending on how melted you would like the glass to become.  When preparing the glass to be fused, you have to be careful what types of glass you use.  If you mix the wrong types of glass, cracking and other disasters could ensue.  You also have to run the kiln for approximately 24 hours without peaking, as glass needs slow temperature changes to prevent cracking.

getting ready to fuse!

Once the fused glass is done and out of the kiln, cold work must be done, like grinding, molding, and placing it in jewelry settings.  Also, on occasion when the kiln is done, you open is up and everything has gone wrong.  Patti compares opening the kiln to Christmas morning, the excitement she gets to see all the glittering colors she may have created but sometimes she ends up with coal.  When that happens, she has to repair the pieces and then put them back in the kiln.  I was intrigued to hear that glass work has such incredibly low waste; every little piece can be used for something.  There are even frit artists who use the tiniest shards of glass to create their works. 

Blue Green Link Bracelet by GetGlassy

So what does Patti love most about fused glass?  Definitely the color, she says.  There are just so many different choices and gorgeous combinations.  I’m personally a fan of how shiny Patti can get her jewelry. She does this by using Dichroic glass which was developed by NASA. The shiny effect is caused by the various fumes the glass is subjected to. 

Filigree Ring with Dichroic Fused Glass Stone by GetGlassy - Looks like space to me

Patti loves creating pieces with nature themes, inventing new designs, and finding ways to work the glass that no one has tried yet.  She even does lamp work beading for accents for her fused glass pieces, so, if the unthinkable happened and she lost her kilns, she wouldn't have to stop working in glass.  She also keeps up her knitting and crocheting, as you can see in her other shop GetTangled, which she creates on the train as one drawback of glass work is you can’t really work on it outside of the studio! 

Fused Glass Cheese Board in Warm Ambers by GetGlassy

So I hope you enjoyed learning about Patti and her fused glass! I know I did.   Keep an eye out for her at local craft fairs for goodies you can’t find in her etsy shop, including large fused glass pieces on canvas. She’ll be at the Hudson Valley etsy team Fishkill show on June 2^nd (and so will I, so don’t miss out!).  And don’t forget to check out her creations at her shops GetGlassy, GetTangled, and GetGlassySupplies, like her on Facebook, and stop by her website. I’m sure you know someone who needs a little glitter in their life!

Enjoy!

Amber

March featured member: WickedMint

Hudson Valley Etsy Team's March featured member shop is WickedMint, the fabric creations of Ryan Green.  Congratulations!

One cloudy day, I went to see Ryan at her home studio in Beacon (I can’t wait for it to start getting warm again!).  Her house is wonderful, full of lovely artwork and I was immediately envious of her well-organized work-space.  Although she’s been making things since she was little, as her mother taught her to sew, Ryan’s been selling her creations since 2003, starting at craft fairs and markets in NYC and through her own website, eventually moving to Beacon.  She’s been selling on Etsy since 2006, almost exclusively since 2009, and she’s even an Etsy educator!

I've seen Ryan’s creations around Etsy long before I became a member of the HVNY team, so it was a pleasure to meet the person behind the lovely chevron patter I see around, as well as some great silk-screened work! I had spent some time reading her blog in preparation and found out she has a nearly 4 month old girl.  I got to meet Elliot, who was very reasonable with me distracting her mother. 

is she going to start sewing soon?

So why does Ryan do what she does? “Being able to make things gives me freedom to own things that I might not otherwise be able to afford or be able to find in a store. I love sewing fabric creations because I can dream something up in my head and make it come to life. When someone becomes a customer by purchasing one of my items, it feels amazing. I imagine it feels how an artist would feel after selling a painting in a gallery.”

what a cute elephant!

And how does Ryan make these lovely creations? It depends on what she’s making but like most things it must be designed first! 

For her tea towels, cosmetic bags, and her telltale chevron patter, she begins with a computer design that is printed through spoonflower on a high quality linen/cotton blend fabric.  She’s hoping to expand this process to cover most of the items in her shop, as they offer more color preferences and she feels it’s safer for Elliot.

Modern Avocado Green Throw Pillow by wickedmint 

Still, her pillows are generally silk-screened in her basement (I didn't get a chance to check it out, but aren't her pillows gorgeous?) on brightly colored duck cloth or cotton twill.  Generally, she uses white ink, but she could use up to 4 different colors with this process.

Next after the fabric is printed, silk-screened, and cut all the pieces have to be collected and sewn together. 

Here she’s working on a cosmetic bag.

To the ironing board! She has to flatten out the pieces to be sewn a second time.

I love all the brightly colored zippers she has that go ever so well with her own designs, as well as her collection of threads!

Then, when everything’s sewn up, it’s time to get it ready to mail out.  She has personalized shipping labels and tags that gives just the right personal touch while letting you know you are buying from WickedMint!

As I mentioned earlier, Ryan is an Etsy Educator!  Basically, as part of a pilot program, Etsy trained 15 shop owners in how to teach others  interested in opening a shop Etsy 101.  Most of them had already been educating people, but Etsy wanted to have the trainings be more standardized and give the trainers the ability to communicate directly with Etsy.  So, if you’re interested in opening up an Etsy shop, keep your eye out for any workshops she might be holding near you.  I hope they start training more people soon, if only because being an “Etsy Educator” sounds so cool!

Gray Chevron with Red-Orange Accents Cosmetic Bag by wickedmint 

I hope you enjoyed your trip to Ryan’s workshop!  I know I did.  Definitely, go check out her awesome Etsy Shop and keep an eye out for a craft fair or Etsy 101 class she’ll be at.  You can also find her on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.  I’m sure you know someone who needs a lovely pillow or tea towel to warm up their home just in time for spring! 

Enjoy!

Amber