Bottle Glass Pocket Vase - Glass With A Past

Pocket vases are little glass pockets that hang on the wall, or in a window and have a narrow cavity for holding water and flowers. They are easy to make, easy to sell, and there are a hundred variations, all of them adorable. Let’s get started!

Materials:

Fiber paper equaling about 1/4″ thick or slightly thicker and 4″ x 5″. I use a stack of thin pieces of fiber paper because that’s what I have

Shelf paper – one piece big enough to wrap around the fiber paper stack

Bottle glass sheets – 2 pieces from the same bottle, unrolled to make sheets, we are using 5″ x 5″ pieces for this tutorial

Brass loops or Nichrome loops for hanging.

P95 Dust Mask

Glue

Optional additions: copper wire and sheet, dirt and sand, plaster inclusions, frits or enamels, paint

Step 1: Making the basic pocket vase

Cut glass to 5″ squares. Place fiber on one of the sheets, centered, and mark the corners with a sharpie.

Wrapping your fiber in a piece of shelf paper will make it easier to remove later and may preserve the fiber enough to reuse it again and again.

Step 2: Adding Embellishments (optional)

If you wish to add a little something extra to your pocket vase, now is the time! Some options to consider are inclusions. Inclusions need to be capped, so they will be placed on the bottom sheet of the pocket vase glass.

Copper (or brass)

Dirt (or sand)

Compatible Frit or Paint

These are added to the top layer of the pocket glass and then set aside until assembly.

Step 3: Add hanging loops

Glue one hanging loop on either side of the fiber paper halfway between the paper and the edge. These will be fused inside the glass, so make sure you place it so it will be securely captured.

Step 4: Assemble and Fuse

Add the top layer of glass to the pocket vase and fire to a full fuse:

: Dirt/Sand inclusions

: Frit

: Copper inclusions

Step 5: Remove the fiber paper

Remove the fiber paper carefully, I like to gently wiggle it out of the vase. If it tears, remove it with a long hook or skewer. Wear your dust mask for this!