Turkey Candle Shelter or Flower Vase How-To

6” x 8.5”

Let the festivities begin! Fall is a season for celebrating family, friends and feasting. At my house, the dining room table is the center of attention at this time of year. Accordingly, I like to decorate the table with a special piece of art that brings cheerful energy to our gatherings. This brightly colored turkey is the perfect adornment for such joyous occasions. It may look complicated, but it’s actually fast and easy to make.

To get started, cut out the paper pattern with scissors. To make the base, trace the turkey shape on clear glass with a marker. Cut as much of the clear glass as possible by hand. Use a glass saw to detail the inside cuts. The clear base layer can be made up of pieces if you don’t have access to a saw. Grind the clear glass to remove sharp edges and improve the shape.

For the colorful design layer, cut the pattern up with scissors. Affix the paper pieces to the appropriate colored glass with a glue stick. Cut the pieces as closely to the paper as possible. Cut a second turkey body out of patterned dichroic on clear. Then grind the cut glass pieces to improve the shapes and remove any sharp edges.

Place the clear base on a second pattern. Apply a small amount of fuser’s glue to the clear base and then assemble the colorful design layer on top. Stack the dichroic body on top. Allow the glue to dry until the pieces are secure. If you move to the next step too soon, the glass pieces will slide around when you apply the frit. This causes blurred edges that I feel distract from the design.

Using a spoon, pour a small amount of fine frit onto the turkey. Work the frit down into any gaps with a paint brush. This step gives the finished artwork a nice added detail. I selected a complimentary yellow to highlight this bold color palate. When using this technique, I intentionally pick fine frit instead of powder. The excess fine frit is easier to clean off the surface of the project than powder which tends to stick.

Next add a dichroic dot for an eye and a yellow triangle for a beak. Now for a little bling. Nip wavy Firestrips to size and place them on the turkey’s feathers for a flashy zinger.

The assembled turkey is fused and then slumped over a barrel shaped mold. The slumped turkey is then glued to the front of the clear candle shelter. Colored fused glass strips cover the remainder of the clear candle shelter to give it a festive flare all the way around.

Using a strip cutter cut 16 strips total ½” wide, 5 7/8” long out of red, orange and green glass. Cut 16 strips of iridized clear the same size. Stack the clear iridized strips on the color strips.

Fuse the turkey and strips to a full fuse temperature using the guide below.

Slump the fused turkey over the ceramic mold.

Glue the slumped turkey to the clear candle shelter with E6000 adhesive. Tape the fused glass to the clear shelter to ensure it doesn’t slide off. Let the glue dry overnight.

Glue the fused glass strips to the remainder of the clear shelter. Tape them in place. Let the glue dry overnight.