Samantha Sweet Glass

When two brilliant musicians came to the studio this weekend, it really struck me how much glassblowing is just like playing an instrument
It’s all about tempo, breath control, and finding that rhythm. If your timing is off, the glass definitely lets you know about it!
We composed these gorgeous pieces together—turns out being good with timing translates pretty well into glass

If you had to guess which one of these two vases was harder to make, you’d probably pick the light blue one, right? It seems obvious! But for a long time, this wasn’t the case
For many years glass naturally came out brown or green because of iron impurities in the raw sand.
So making a light blue vase was actually easier than a clear one. Adding a pinch of cobalt would just mask that green tint
Making glass completely colourless meant you couldn’t hide anything. When Venetian glassmakers in Murano finally worked out how to make Cristallo—their prized, beautifully clear glass—sharing the recipe outside Murano was treated as high treason!
Even today, clear glass is a test. Without any colour to disguise mistakes, every tool mark, curve, and tiny bubble is completely exposed.
Want to come and try working with molten glass yourself? You are welcome to work with both clear and coloured glass in my beginner-friendly classes right here in East Finchley!

Ever wondered how to get unique glass shapes without using a factory mould? Sometimes it takes a bit of teamwork!
These two came in for a session and assisted each other to sculpt their tumblers freehand—one made a stepped glass and the other went for a clever pushed-in grip. No prior experience, they worked together brilliantly to bring their pieces to life 👏

Asking five different glassblowers which newspaper works best is probably a great way to start an argument! My preference? Anything except the Barnet Times!
Glassblowers - what paper do you use?
Thinking of doing a glassblowing class - what paper would you most like to burn during glassblowing session at my studio?

Rather than buy a glass off the shelf, this guest brought her partner the a private glassblowing class to make his own whisky tumbler. Two gifts in one- a memorable experience and a gorgeous glass exactly as he’d envisaged

Meet one of my absolute favorite students. She recently turned 80, but instead of just blowing out candles, she decided she wanted to blow glass!
Honestly, it’s such a privilege to share this craft with people of all ages and help them tick something off their list. I even think she might have caught the glassblowing bug!

Did you know that historically, British glassblowers were legally allowed to drink gallons of beer on the job?
But before you picture a chaotic, drunken hot shop, it wasn’t quite like that! Centuries ago, working around old coal-fired furnaces was an absolute test of endurance. To keep workers going, glassworks gave them huge daily allowances of ‘small beer’. It was a super weak brew—usually around 1% alcohol—so they weren’t working drunk. It was more like an 18th-century energy drink, packed with the nutrients and calories they needed to stay fueled up.
Because shaping glass is a serious full-body workout! Between staying on your feet and lifting the irons, it’s brilliant cardio and strength training!
Thankfully, modern studios are a world away from those old coal-fired workshops, and we keep things incredibly comfortable, safe, and fun here in East Finchley. We stick to chilled water during my lessons to keep everyone perfectly safe. But after a session at the furnace? I completely agree that you’ve absolutely earned a cold beer!
Want to try the craft for yourself, sweat it out, and make something beautiful?
Tap the link in my bio to book a private experience for two!

Walking into a glassblowing studio for the first time is intimidating. You can feel the intense 1,000°C heat before you even see the furnace!
When this lovely family walked in, I could see a flash of doubt in their eyes. But they were here to support their niece, who was 100% ready for an adventure.
I love watching that exact moment where apprehension turns into absolute focus and by the end, they walked out with a massive boost of confidence—and some gorgeous handmade glass to show for it!
Want to surprise someone with an unforgettable creative day out in London?
Tap the link in my bio or head to samanthasweet.com to book a private session here in East Finchley!
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Is glass actually metal?
If you’ve ever hung around a hot shop, you might hear glassblowers refer to that glowing, molten stuff in the furnace as ‘the metal.’ No it’s not a joke and we haven’t forgotten what material we’re working with!
Glass and metal are very different. True metal has a strict melting point and turns into a runny liquid instantly. Glass doesn’t have a melting point at all; it’s an amorphous solid that just gets progressively softer and stretchier like hot honey. The nickname comes from early industrial history when ‘metal’ was used as old-school slang for any molten material fused from raw rocks, sand, and earth. The terminology stuck!
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There is a long history of making glass birds, and the glassmakers on the island of Murano became world-famous for them
While they didn’t invent them Murano glassmakers took the concept and elevated it to high art in the 15th and 16th centuries. They used their incredible sculpting skills to create delicate, free-blown decorative birds, popping them onto the stems of goblets and the frames of mirrors to show off their absolute mastery
I love how these historic little details connect to what we do right here in the studio. One of my wonderful guests sculpted this from scratch during their 1:1 private session
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