The "Wearing The Label Of Stained Glass Artist Once Again" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Checking my emails when I found a rather interesting request from Serena who lives in the state of Washington.  She wrote:  Hi there!  I stumbled on your blog post from 2009 and found exactly what I’m looking for: A stained glass Hawaiian shirt hanging. These are actually quite difficult to find online. My boss is retiring in December and has been wearing Hawaiian shirts everyday since he announced. I think this would make a funny and charming gift to remember our staff by. Do you continue to produce and sell these? If so, what would be the costs involved?  I appreciate your help with my request!  Serena.  The last time I worked in stained glass was in January of 2014 when another reader of my blog asked the exact same question of me.  

The request for a shirt in 2014 yielded this shirt.

Would I make him a stained glass Hawaiian shirt?  I did back then and I just finished another one for Serena.  I stopped working in stained glass about ten years ago due to constant pain in my hands from working on my stained glass projects.  I originally took a course in stained glass at a local Community College after I decided to retire from teaching in 1998.  The following year Carol and I took a trip to Hawaii with friends Jere and Sue to celebrate retirement.  Jere and I were childhood friends who both returned to our high school Alma Mater to teach together.  It was during that visit to Hawaii in 1999, while shopping with my wife on the island of Maui, that I saw a stained glass Hawaiian shirt.  I stole a photograph of the shirt in the store and after coming home designed my first shirt the same size as the one I had seen in Hawaii.  I had so many compliments on the final result that I designed nine other shirts and made one of each.  I never sold that original one I made, but did make a duplicate to go with the other nine I made.  While on a vacation to Stone Harbor, New Jersey two years later I took all ten of the shirts with me to see if I could find a store that would take them on consignment.  The middle of the week I was in town where I visited a stained glass store  and took my shirts with me.  I asked the owner if he would be interested in taking them on consignment.  He looked at me and said, "Nah!  I don't take consignments.  I'll buy them all from you!"  Wow, that night I treated the family to supper.  I had made many since that time until one day I decided to give it up and put everything away.  Then the request in 2014 came and I dusted off the tools and worked again.  I had fun, but the bug to do stained glass once again wasn't there.  Then a year ago my brother asked me to teach him how to do stained glass.  Seems somehow he got the bug to try something different and remembered the projects I had made and shared with him.  We had the best time learning together and he has begun a new hobby while keeping me involved by asking him how to do this and how to do that in glass.  Then on July 15th I opened the email from Serena and here I am once again...working in stained glass.  Will I begin the hobby again?  I'm not sure!  I did enjoy making the shirt, but will I still enjoy working with glass if I get orders and find it is turning into a job.  That I don't want since I have three part-time jobs already.  Time will tell...I guess.  If I happen to open my email again one day in the future and find I have another request...well...we'll see!  That's all I can say for now.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - the following photos will give you an idea what I must do to produce a stained glass Hawaiian shirt.  Funny that both requests were for the exact same shirt.  You will notice they are slightly different in design and color, even though the theme is the same.  I could never duplicate the same shirt.  Just wouldn't do it!  Each one must be special to the owner.

Beginning the cutting of the glass and placing it on my pattern.

Some pieces have been wrapped in copper foil as the piece begins to look like a shirt.

Most pieces have been lined with the foil.

All inner joints have been soldered in this photo.  Both side of the piece must be soldered and each side is gone over twice to make sure the solder bead is uniform and rounded.  You can also see the metal frame I will cut and place around the edge.

I have the bottom and some of each side covered with the boarder.  You can see the final piece begin to take shape on the left and top.

Soldering the frame to the rest of the shirt.

This photograph shows the dark patina after I have brushed it on all areas that are silver.

The final result.  Notice that there are small hangers on the top left and top right.  It can be hung in a window opening using wire, chain or even leather such as a leather shoe string.  Also notice that there are wooden buttons in place as on a real shirt.

And...the proud owner of the last Hawaiian shirt I just completed.