Glass Cutting Provides Profitable Hobb
BY GAY N. BROWNLEE
Somerset Co. Correspondent
SALISBURY (Somerset Co.)
Accepting the inevitable
scrapes, cuts and occasional minor
bums, Dixie Otto finds the craft of
working with stained glass brings
her both satisfaction and
enjoyment.
She creates lovely lamp shades
for lamp bases that she purchases
separately; unusual shades for
nightlights, attractive sun
catchers, glass Christmas tree
ornaments and eye-catching pen
cil holders.
“I really enjoy it To me it’s not
work... well, it’s pleasurable
work,” she adds on second
thought
“1 think the first thing I had a
problem with was worrying about
getting cut” she recalls, scurrying
around her economical space in
search of a particular piece of
glass,” because we’re taught from
childhood, ‘don’t touch this or
that.’”
The compact shop, located in
the basement of a friend’s home,
is equipped with the necessary
conveniences for creating a top
notch glass product. Handy elec
trical outlets, good lighting, and
nearby water faucets are a must
for this job.
The volume is turned low, but
one hears Cheers airing on the
small black and white television
set nearby. Obviously, some elec
tronic companionship is an effec
tive tool to stop the monotony of
working in solitude.
“Some glass is more splintery
than others,” she explains, saying
that she buys the glass from
Youghiogheny Glass in
Connellsville/' .ts,*t ’p m
A larger pieeeof glass isplafced
on top of the Morton glass cutting
board, which is about 18 by 24
inches of firm white plastic with
tiny hollow squares for catching
chips or shards as Otto works.
Taking a plastic pattern for a
section of a future nightlight cov
er, she deftly draws on the design
with the tip of a colored marker to
match the stained glass which
might be a delicate blue, lavender,
green or another darker color.
With the appropriate tools she
scores, cuts, then breaks the glass
apart.
The pair of protective pastel
blue gloves, seen hanging nearby,
Otto has chosen to disregard, opt
ing to work with bare hands.
She exercises meticulous care
in fitting the segments together.
“It’s verey important that every
thing is accurate,” she says. “What
you are trying to do is to get your
pieces as even a$ possible.”
This is where the electric grin
der saves time over using a hand
Q&mesiead
file. The grinder is filled with
water before Otto arranges a large
piece of heavy brown paper
around its back and sides to absorb
the inevitable splashing from the
running grinder. With this step
Otto can file the rough edges and
perfect the fit of each section to
the others before joining them.
Next Otto thoroughly washes
the glass to remove surface oils.
She uses Joy dishwashing liquid
because she says her instructor
recommended the product when
Otto was a student at a glass class
held at Carole's Craft Comer in
Boswell.
She removes the paper backing
from some narrow copper foil
which comes in rolls, and attaches
it to the edges of the cut glass.
Using a flux and a soldering iron,
she then seals the edges. Some
times she will use came, pro
nounced kam, which is a grooved
lead strip also used to fasten
pieces of glass.
Finally, the glass is washed a
second time and ready for the
application of a finishing com
pound to bring out its fine lustre,
says Otto.
The lamps for which she has
created shades appear wonderful
ly antique and perfect for occupy
ing a small desk or pretty boudoir
table. They are displayed for sale
at a local art gallery.
Like the upside down gores of a
skirt, the nightlight shade sort of
flares around it in three small sec
tions to shield the tiny bulb from
view.
“The prettiest things are when
you hold them to the light,” she
says, lifting a sun-catcher to illus
trate what she means.
ill Other crafts enjoyed by Otto are
photography, oil painting, and
arranging dried flowers.
Her photographic entries have
won some blue ribbons and she
transforms a plain white notecard
into a simple work of art with a
personal touch just by attaching a
sprig of dried flowers to one cor
ner. She also makes small bou
quets with dried flowers.
Several years ago a few area
persons Otto was one of than
organized a club and dubbed it
the Tub Mill Arts Association,
paying homage to a locally
respected old stream and land
mark known as the Tub Mill Run.
They saw artistic talents in the
rural community literally being
“hid under a bushel,” as one mem
ber put it. They wanted to gamer
publicity and create a sales outlet
for the work of those persons.
Says Otto, “We met to organize
a club and just sort of all pitched
in.” She became the treasurer
when officers were elected.
To get things rolling they held
tA/ofas
Dixie Otto hangs some of the glass ornaments to provide a sun-catching
arrangement.
Dixie displays her stained glass wares in the art gallery : lamps, pencil holders and
nlghtlights.
art shows, using space in a local
school. They were held the
weekends of the Pennsylvania
Maple Festival. Although the fes
tival was held in Myersdale, top
maple producers located around
Salisbury attracted tours to the
area. Shows were also held prior
to the Christmas season.
While the pressing goal of the
association is to permanently
locate its art gallery in a large
building so they can offer art clas
ses and seminars, they have found
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Fatmiary 1,1M2-B3
a good temporary location on
Grant Street in Salisbury. Just a
few feet from the town’s only
traffic light, the building sits along
Route 219 where association
members host the facility for visi
tors from 12 noon to 5 p.m., Wed
nesdays through Sundays.
Also a musician, Otto, a bank
manager by profession, has played
piano and organ for years, tutoring
many pupils. She says she still sets
aside time for a few piano lessons.
Pa. Cattlemen
Seek Queen
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) Applications for the 1992
Cattlemen’s Queen are currently
being accepted by the Pennsylva
nia Cattlemen’s Association. PCA
will be selecting a queen and one
alternate during the 1992 PA Beef
Expo, March 26 and 27.
The Queen contest is open to
any interested female, ages 18 to
23. Contestants must have a work
ing knowledge or have displayed
abilities to work with cattle at the
on-farm level of the cattle
industry.
The Cattlemen’s Queen will be
crowned at the Annual Awards
Banquet, Friday, March 27. She
She is one of two organists at her
church.
She attended Hood College in
Frederick, Md., and Norristown
Business College, Norristown.
After working a while in Philadel
phia, Otto says she returned to her
home area and began working in a
bank, a career which has spanned
some 31 years and advanced her to
manager’s position at Integra
Bank in Salisbury.
will represent the Pennsylvania
Cattlemen’s Association and the
beef industry at various events
throughout the state.
The Pennsylvania Beef Council
will also be selecting “Beef Indus
try Representatives” for 1992.
Serving as the Cattlemen’s Queen
would not interfere with that indi
vidual’s opportunity to serve as a
Beef Industry Representative.
Applications are available by
contacting Sue Clair, Chairman of
the Queen Program Committee,
S6B Rock Road, State College, PA
16801, or by calling Mrs. Clair
(814) 238-1233 or Marie Painter,
PCA Sec’y (814) 258-7283.