Rachel McCracken

Hello! My name is Rachel (AKA “Rae”), and this is the story of my glass work! Not too long after my diagnosis of EDS, I saw this one-of-a-kind glass work at a ceramic shop one day and wanted to figure out how to make creations of my own. At the time, I was doing occupational therapy for the function of my hands, but when I saw that beautiful glass piece in a ceramic shop I was inspired and motivated. I ended up getting supplies, glass scraps, a normal handheld glass cutter, a pair of running pliers to break the score made by the cut, and a microwave kiln. I fell in love with dichroic glass and the whole process of making fused glass. I have my own unique style with my glass creations. I hand cut multiple pieces of glass that have to be exactly precise in measurement to be able to stack them correctly (which was not an easy task first starting out), then I stack the glass (which also isn’t easy, it likes to slide) and the stacking has to be precise before I fuse. Fusing is the process in which I put the stacks of hand-cut layers of glass into a kiln which I then have to fire and continuously check the kiln to make sure the stack of glass is fusing together properly, different types of glass and even sizes have different fusing times, so you just kind of have to play it by ear. After the fusing process is over, I wait about an hour for it to cool completely otherwise the glass could crack, form unwanted bubbles, among other issues. The kiln gets up to 1300 to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit so that’s why it takes so long to cool down. After the piece has cooled down, I wash it, then hand file it to smooth out the edges. A lot of people use a certain saw to file their pieces to perfection, but my file is the same as my glass cutter, handheld. I do everything manually. Dichroic glass is different from any other glass, it shines and sparkles in the sun like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s not the cheapest but it’s exciting. You can’t completely predict how it will turn out, which is another reason I’m so in love with it. It’s a beautiful surprise to open the kiln after the glass has cooled down. I’ve never watched any YouTube tutorials for glass, I like the process of figuring things out on my own. I no longer have to do occupational therapy because working with the glass requires so many fine motor skills. I hope one day I can afford a larger kiln to make more glass products, vases, lighting fixtures, tables, garden decor, backsplashes. The possibilities are endless!