Strips Weaving

The strips weaving method, is simply placing strips of glass on top of each other. This has more of a plaid look than an actual look of weaving.

You will want to determine what size you want your project and select your glass colors. Using different colors will give you a unique and different look where your pieces overlap. Make sure all your glass has the same COE.

Strips can be made in any width you desire. I chose to make my strips ½ inch thick.

Determine how many strips you are going to need. Using a ruler, mark your glass using a permanent marker. Once you have them all marked, cut your pieces.

Once your pieces are cut, be sure to clean them thoroughly. You want to remove any dust, dirt or fingerprints that could make nasty marks on your finished piece.

You can use an alcohol free window cleaner, or plain soap and water. Dry throughly.

Prepare your kiln shelf using either kiln wash or kiln paper. Determine how far apart you want your grid a good space of about 3/8” is good. Hold your glass by the edges as you place your glass on the prepared kiln shelf. Place one row of glass strips all facing in the same direction on you kiln shelf.

Next place a row on top of this first layer, but in a diagonal direction, so that you have a crossed grid design. You can use some glue if you want, but it is not necessary.

Turn on your kiln and fire to either a tack fuse or full fuse depending on the look you desire. Watch your piece carefully. Fire your piece at about 500 degrees Fahrenheit per hour. Anneal your piece and cool before removing.

Once your piece is complete, you can leave it as it is, slump it into a mold, or drape it over a mold. There are such a variety of molds that you can get lot of different looks using your piece. Center your square woven piece on a prepared mold.

Fire your piece at 500 degrees per hour again to approximately 1280 degrees, depending on your individual kiln. Anneal your piece and allow your kiln to cool. Once it has reached room temperature, you can open your kiln and remove your piece.

This strips weaving is by far the easiest method of making your glass appear to be woven. It is a simple and easy to accomplish technique.

Return from Strips Weaving to the homepage