About Me

What I Do

Ten years ago, I was a glass fuser fed up with the gaudy murrine currently available from the glass manufacturers. Not only were the colours horrid, when it was fused it looked even worse! So I set out to make murrine chips that were specifically designed to work WITH the fusing process; that would take account of the transformation that happens when glass melts in a kiln to produce a final fused result that was even more beautiful than the cold, unfused chip. As it turned out, I wasn’t alone in my desire for traditional-style, beautiful fusible murrine. When I mentioned I was doing this to other glass fusers, they wanted some too! Practical Kat Murrine was born.

I construct my murrine canes by hand by melting fusing glass (Bullseye or Uroboros / System96) in the flame. This gives me total control over the finished chips, so I know that they will be as I have designed them. It’s a slow process, and I made a LOT of mistakes along the way, but I still love cutting through a finished cane for the first time and seeing the intricacy inside. Even more so, I love opening the kiln the next morning and seeing whether the fused test chip looks like I planned!

I always set out to make the very best quality murrine for fusers, from my studio to yours.

A little about me

I grew up just outside Portsmouth, England, but I now live on the edge of the Highlands of Scotland, on the banks of the Clyde. It’s about fifteen minutes to Loch Lomond from here, and I love to get out in the hills walking when I can. I am owned by four cats (I’ve been told more than two is official Mad Cat Lady territory.  Guilty as charged...) and when I’m not making canes, packing orders or answering emails, I’m probably being made to play snakes and ladders or Frustration (clue is in the name) by my four year old.