Fall fused glass projects come together quickly and are a great way to capture the atmosphere of the changing seasons. If you’re stocking seasonal glass art to sell or looking for new ways to decorate your home for Halloween, these fall fused glass ideas are a great place to start.
Fall Fused Glass Ideas for Autumn and Thanksgiving
These fall fused glass projects are inspired by the nature that gives fall its beautiful harvest colors, so they can stay on display from late September through Thanksgiving.
1. Fused Glass Leaves
Beginner
A changing leaf is the classic symbol of fall, and it adapts to so many glass project types. Traditional stained glass leaves use copper foil and solder. Fusing gives you a similar look in a single firing which makes them fast and easy to make.
How to Make Glass Leaves
- Trace maple, oak and birch leaf outlines from a fused glass pattern.
- Cut the shapes from amber, orange, gold, and deep red fusible glass. If curves give you trouble, our glass cutting guide covers the tools and techniques.
- Wipe away fingerprints and dust, then arrange the leaves on shelf paper so they release cleanly after firing.
- Lay thin stringers on top for the veins and stem.
- Fire to a full fuse, usually somewhere near 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit, until the edges round over. Each glass brand has its own recommended schedule, so follow the one for your sheets.
- Keep the kiln shut until it reaches room temperature, since a sudden rush of cool air can crack the glass.
Here are a few ways to use your finished leaves.
- Suncatchers. Fuse a wire loop between layers and hang a cluster of leaves in a sunny window.
- Bowls and plates. Arrange overlapping leaves on a clear base, full fuse, then slump the piece into a mold for a centerpiece.
- Coasters. Full fuse a single leaf onto a square of cream or clear glass.
- Garland. String small leaves along a cord over a mantel or doorway.
2. Fused Glass Pumpkins
Beginner
To make a fused glass pumpkin, build the body from overlapping orange ovals, add a green stem and a curling stringer vine, then tack fuse to keep the segmented look. Pumpkins work as flat suncatchers, magnets or small candy dishes if made using slumping techniques.
3. Acorn Ornaments and Pendants
Beginner
Fused glass acorns are tiny, so they put leftover scrap to good use. Pair brown or bronze glass for the nut with a cap cut from darker textured glass, then tack fuse. Add a bail for pendants or fuse in a wire loop for ornaments.
4. Harvest Wheat Serving Platter
Intermediate
Lay wheat stalks in gold frit and amber stringer across a clear or cream base, full fuse, then slump into a platter mold. The finished piece holds rolls or cookies on the Thanksgiving table and doubles as a host gift.
5. Autumn Candle Shelter
Intermediate
Fuse a panel of falling leaves, pumpkins, or acorns over a sunset blend of yellow, orange and red, then slump it over a curved candle shelter mold. A tea light behind it casts warm color across the room.
Halloween Fused Glass Projects
Halloween decorations should be a little bit fun and a little bit spooky. These Halloween fused glass projects embrace the spirit of the season and work for beginners and experienced artists alike.
6. Candy Corn Magnets
Beginner
To make glass candy cord magnets, stack small white, orange and yellow triangles in candy corn order and full fuse them until they’re smooth. Glue a strong magnet to the back. One kiln load can make dozens of classroom or office gifts.
7. Jack-o’-Lantern Ornaments
Beginner
Cut eyes, a nose and a grin from black glass and set them on an orange circle. A tack fuse leaves the face slightly raised so it catches the light. Add a green stem and a wire hanger.
8. Spiderweb Coasters
Beginner
Lay a web of white stringers on a square of black glass and full fuse it flat. Add cork or felt pads underneath. A small dichroic glass spider in one corner gives each coaster some shine.
9. Halloween Night Scene Panel
Intermediate
To make Halloween night scene glass art, layer a gradient sky, a full moon, bare trees and flying bats into one panel. Fire the background first, then tack fuse the black silhouettes on top so their edges stay sharp. The finished panel looks like a Halloween stained glass craft but has no solder lines.
10. Haunted House Night Light
Advanced
Fuse a dark house silhouette onto a smoky base and set dichroic pieces into the windows. When the light is on, the windows glow like someone’s home. Expect at least two firings before you attach it to a night light clip.
Glass Fusing Tips Before You Fire
- Match your COE. Every sheet, frit, stringer and dichroic piece in a project needs the same COE, or the glass can crack as it cools.
- Test your colors. Some reds and oranges shift in the kiln, so fire a small sample first.
- Plan for multiple firings. Slumped and layered pieces need two or more firings, each with a full cool-down, so start early.
For more fall glass art ideas, see our post on seasonal and holiday-themed stained glass projects.
Start Your Fall Glass Projects at Hollander
Browse Hollander’s fusible glass collection to stock up on autumn oranges, deep reds and Halloween blacks, then get your first piece into the kiln.