Level 1: Background
As I explain in my presentation, I enjoy doing DIYs and crafty projects. I was in tech theatre in high school, so I have worked on an array of lighting, sound, set, and costume designs. I frequently cross stitch and embroider, my most recent project being a sweatshirt that has a scannable Spotify code, and I have made a quilt with the help of my mother who is an expert quilter. Because of this, I wanted to try something new and unusual for this class DIY project, because it was an excuse to myself to do the kind of projects I love and learn something new. As I do on most occasions, I called my mom to see what she thought. During our call, she mentioned that she had been looking for stained glass windows at antique shops, and said that if I thought I could make her one, she would pay for my supplies to do so.
Level 2: Planning and Ideas
My first step was to understand the scope of the project and decide if this was something I would be able to do in a span of two weeks, and with the tools, I had at my disposal. I originally used the search term “DIY stained glass” on Google, but all of the results were for faux stained glass projects that were made of other materials, not real stained glass. After trying a few search terms, I realized that the google search algorithm for these terms was targeted towards parents and kids attempting to do crafts. I decided to switch over to Youtube and search directly there, hoping that more serious and professional stained glass artists would use that platform to share resources. Luckily, I was correct, and the first search term got me to a video by the channel Stained Glass DIY, which was created by an artist named Sarakit to share his love of the art, and put out easy tutorials for beginning stained glass artists. His first video that I saw, entitled ‘Stained Glass For Beginners – Honeycomb’, did an excellent job of slowly going through the entire process, from picking out the glass, cutting, foiling, to soldering. He didn’t speed anything up or skip any parts of the process. It was a great way to see the process unfold, learn the little tips and tricks, and decide that I had the skills to follow these steps and do the same thing.
Level 3: Gathering Resources
The next step in my process was to gather all of the supplies I needed to complete this process. I found a list from Colorado Glass Works, which is a website for a stained glass artist named Meggy who has been doing stained glass since 2017 and started this site to share her knowledge with other artists. She produced a comprehensive list of the tools needed to make stained glass, along with full descriptions of how to use the tools, what part of the process they were for, and indications of tools that were optional and which ones were mandatory. She had a few links to where to buy products, but she included a disclaimer that she was an amazon affiliate and got compensation if you bought from her link. I bought these supplies from Cavallini Glass here in San Antonio and was helped a lot by the staff there as well. 
I then sent a list of tools that I decided I needed to Ryan Hodge, the machine shop technician at Trinity University, so I would know what I needed to buy and what he had in the shop. Because I have worked with Ryan before, he mentioned to me that his mom was a stained glass artist in San Antonio and that she would be willing to give me a tour of her studio. This ended up being an essential part of my process, and Barbara Hodge was one of my main resources. Touring her studio and listening to her talk about her process gave me a much better idea of the tools that she uses on a daily basis in her art and little techniques to achieve my goals, including how often to use oil on my glass cutter and how big to make the margins of my pattern. 
However, she actually used a different technique than I was planning to use. Essentially, instead of wrapping her glass in copper foil and using solder to bind the entire piece, she used lead came, which is basically an “H” shaped pipe that the glass slides into, and then a small amount of solder is used to attach each of the ends of the lead came. This technique is best for larger projects, and while I am glad I didn’t use it for this project, I am planning to use that technique for future projects.
Level 4: Project Completion
I then went to the maker space to complete this project. I jumped right in with the glass cutter, and as I went continually got better. I realized how important consistent pressure of the glass cutter was and how important it was to measure with an allowance for the width of the cutter. At this point, I ran into a problem, because I had never used the tools required to cut glass, and was nervous about messing up and hurting myself. I used youtube to find a tutorial on how to use running pliers, and found a video called ‘How To Make Stained Glass – Running Pliers & Set Screw’ which was made by an artist named Samantha Calder on her channel titled “Make Stained Glass.” She has been making stained glass art since 2008, and her video was a slow and detailed description of the pliers, and how to use them to cut glass. This helped me tremendously and helped quell my fears about cutting glass.
After putting together my pieces, I wrapped them in copper foil foiling the advice from the first video I watched, and then I used the soldering iron in the maker space to bind the piece. At first, my iron wasn’t hot enough so I was getting frustrated, but once I turned up the temperature it was much easier. My soldering skills were a bit rusty because the last time I soldered was in 2018, but I still felt safe and in control, so I never felt the need to look up a specific tutorial. 
Level 5: Reflection
This assignment made me realize the degree to which I do not like to wait when starting a new project. Reading, watching videos, and learning techniques are all critical attributes of a project, but I am prone to jump in and learn by doing. While some may see this as irresponsible, I would argue against that. I wore all the proper safety equipment and I learned how to use every tool before I worked with it on this project. I simply don’t learn well through reading alone, which is why the youtube videos and hands-on tutorials from barb were my most helpful resources.
When I got home today, my dad asked me “why did you do a DIY project for a class about games?” And this is what I told him: number one, it is a skill to be able to find resources, and evaluate them for quality even when you’re inexperienced. Knowing to look out for branded content, checking the dates of tutorials, and cross-checking resources to check for quality are all skills that are necessary for coders, as well as people who do DIYs. Second, it’s important to understand how you learn best because that allows you to more easily teach yourself a new skill. Having self-awareness of your learning style can help you track down resources that are best for you, rather than having them prescribed by a professor. Third and finally, being able to encounter problems, but continue on and overcome them is an essential skill in coding. Sometimes, we trick ourselves into thinking that computers are some magical force that is beyond us, and problems happen with no cause or solution. This is entirely untrue, and treating coding as a new skill, just as one would treat a DIY, can help frame the mindset into a problem-solving mode, rather than a damsel in distress way of thinking.
BONUS LEVEL: Credits
The channel ‘Stained Glass DIY’ made me realize it was possible for a beginner like me to make stained glass art. I followed Sarakit’s step-by-step process, and even though I had a different pattern than he did, was heavily influenced by his style and technique.
Meggy, the creator of the Colorado Glass Works website, helped me narrow down my shopping and ensured I only purchased the tools I really needed and got the right ones for the job. Her website probably saved me a lot of money and hassle from not getting the wrong tools.
Barbara Hodge gave me the ability to ask personal questions and get direct, in-person responses during an essential part of my process. I thank an expert like her for sharing her knowledge and time with a newbie like me. She also raised a great kid, Ryan Hodge, who provided me with encouragement and emotional support as I worked in the shop.
Lastly, Samantha Calder and her YouTube channel titled “Make Stained Glass” taught me how to safely cut glass and use tools I had never touched before.
