How to Make a Hanging Dichroic Heart Trio
With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d share a new heart design idea. This dichroic dazzler is made with a fun variety of fusible materials that I had in my studio. It’s fast and easy to make.
Hearts are the universal symbol of love. Because I love glass fusing, the heart is a pattern I enjoy repeating often to bring unique beauty to an old favorite.
The wonderful thing about this simple, easily recognizable shape is it can be made using a variety of fusing techniques and always promises spectacular results.
Day to shine.
Take my lead. Search your studio for small, colorful scraps of fusible glass left behind to shine another day. Collect cut offs and odd pieces you knew would come in handy. The beauty of this project is it transforms mismatched leftovers into sparkling, hanging pieces of art.
I gathered miscellaneous fusible materials that I knew would bring attention to my design. I used dichroic pinwheels for my anchor design details. The delicate circular patterns add visual interest and sparkle to the design. Dichroic Firestrips add flash and playful diagonal lines. The twisted cane adds striking color and a three-dimensional quality to the bouncy grouping. The characteristic round shape of the murrini adds structure and direction that encourages the viewer to interact with the assorted materials.
How-to assemble.
Cut the base glass shape out of clear glass. Grind the glass to improve the shape and remove any sharp edges. Clean the clear glass before stacking glass on top. Select your anchor design details. These are the flashy accents that make this piece unique. Arrange the anchor pieces on the clear glass base. Glue them down with fuser’s glue. I use Elmer’s White School Glue. I apply the smallest amount of glue possible with the tip of a toothpick.
Design tips for pro quality results.
Attention to detail matters. Cut or nip small glass pieces to fill in the background. Layout the pieces with purpose to give the art structure and create design continuity. Don’t just dump scrap on top. Plan the background design with care. Make curved patterns, stripes, or rows of dots. This is key if you want a polished piece and not a messy mosaic.
Fill in as much of the background as possible. This type of assembly delivers consistent project thickness and uniform edge quality after fusing.
Hanging Made Easy
Handy Hangers are a great quick solution for making hanging fused glass art. They’re compact and strong. Just tuck the hangers between glass layers leaving the loop accessible. Fuse the glass project as usual.
Link the three hearts together with wire rings or string. Tie a string to the top loop and hang your beautifully crafted art with pride and confidence.
Happy Fusing!
Lisa & Niki
Follow my blog for weekly inspiration sent to your inbox!
