Gifted with glass: Sun City Summerlin club specializes in delicate art
The Sun City Summerlin Stained Glass Club has been around since 1991, when it had so many members that its crafts room workspace couldn’t accommodate everyone. Now the club has 53 members but is still going strong. Its works were on display during August at the Mountain Shadows Community Center, 9107 Del Webb Blvd.
Some members also plan to be part of the Sun City Summerlin Fall Arts & Crafts Fair, set from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Desert Vista Community Center, 10360 Sun City Blvd. The event is open to the public, although membership in the Stained Glass Club is limited to Sun City Summerlin residents.
On Aug. 1, examples of the meticulous craft were set up in the built-in cases that line the main lobby of Mountain Shadows. They were only a sample of what the club has done. Head next door to the crafts building, and if anyone is working in the stained glass room, chances are they will invite you in and show you other examples.
Looking around the craft rooms, one could see projects in various stages of completion. A unicorn used large, faux diamonds for a 3-D effect. Some members preferred to work on miniature pieces. Others had loftier goals, with pieces that covered the tabletop.
“A big piece can take months,” said Dale Kavula, president of the club.
She told of a large window unit she created, measuring nearly 8 feet. When transporting it home, she and her husband, Robert, had to lay it flat in the back of their SUV. She said they had to drive slowly because “if you hit a bump and it bounces, it’ll break.
“When we got up to the house, (Robert) was afraid to put it in the window,” she said. “He took a hammer and nails and was, like, ‘tap, tap tap,’ then, all of a sudden, it was, ‘smash.’ He was like, ‘Oh, no.’ “
His wife said it was only a small section on the edge that had to be fixed, something she could easily repair without taking it back to the shop.
“If it had been an inside piece (in the middle), I would have been totally upset (and) had to take the whole thing apart (to fix it),” she said.
When the group started in the ’90s, people flocked to join. It had so many members that they were assigned time to work on their projects. When another community center was built, the computer club, which had been next door, vacated its spot, and the Stained Glass Club spread into that room. The club is now housed in two connected 21-foot-by-30-foot rooms.
Each room is dominated by two oversized work desks, with 14 grinders of varying sizes and two glass cutters. Lockers, which are numbered and assigned, run up to the ceilings. Members pay $25 in annual dues and for their own supplies.
Expect $135 for the initial supplies. Once basic tools have been purchased, a project such as an 8-inch by 10-inch piece can run roughly $50.
New members are required to take an introductory class, which costs $75, to learn how to cut glass and use foil.
Kavula said there are equal numbers of men and women, and the majority are in their 70s.
Walt Medla, a member since 1994, said the decrease in membership over the years was possibly due to the economy.
“Copper has gone from $5 to $15,” he said. “A roll of solder used to be $3.50. Now it’s $20.”
Theres Emerson joined the club about 15 years ago. She began making pieces that go in windows, then progressed to other items. She said patience was necessary, as some aspects could be tricky.
What does she like best about it?
“I find it very relaxing,” she said. “And it’s a good place to find company.”
She makes tennis racket-themed stained glass pieces, which are given as prizes to the community’s tennis club winners. She said Tiffany lamps are the trickiest and require following a pattern to the letter. She’s also made jewelry boxes.
“And if I get (stuck), someone will always come over and help,” she said.
Medla took it upon himself to index the 350 pattern books the club has. He ran a finger down the list.
“If you want a Christmas tree or a menorah, or something on golf, you can find it easily this way,” he said.
Bob Bernstein is the newest member, having begun in early summer. He said he joined as a way to keep occupied.
“I couldn’t stop,” he said. “Now, I’m here every day, pretty much, about three hours (each time).”
He said his background as a crown molding installer, which requires meticulous cuts, was a plus for the hobby. With all the windows in his house filled with one of his projects, he’s begun making pieces as gifts. He made a Dalmatian for his son, Lenny.
“It’s one of the most well-organized and well-stocked shops in the (community),” Bernstein said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
For more information about the club, contact Kavula at 702-240-6257. For a list of chartered clubs in Sun City Summerlin, visit suncity-summerlin.com/club_directory.asp.
Contact Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.
