One thing I really love about my job is how different it is from day to day. My kilns have been firing non-stop, creating elements for the James Monroe wall sculptures. But I'm running out of room for all the different pieces, waiting their turn to go into the kilns, so I decided to switch gears and work on a lamp pattern. I have a commission to make 4 lamps for a client who wants them to match some stained glass windows that are original to her home. I got a mold that will create the shape of the lamp but decided to create a unique, coordinating pattern. That requires transposing the flat drawings I've made onto a curved 3-D shape and it's something I've never done before. So I turned to YouTube. Despite being a pretty low-tech person, I frequently avail myself of the wide variety of learning there is online. First I watched some videos on how to make a hoop skirt. But after consulting with a friend who is a talented seamstress, I realized glass and fabric are not similar enough for me to borrow those techniques. Then I found it: Evil Ted shares his secrets on how to make a "foam dome" which, in his video, ultimately becomes a Star Trek helmet using aluminum foil & duct tape! No doubt our final products will be very different but Evil Ted took me through step-by-step how to create the pattern. And maybe when the lamp is finished, I'll make a stained glass Star Trek hoop skirt!