Keosauqua Glass Blowing Shop Allows You to Make Your Own Creations

Whenever Catherine and I drive back to visit her family in southeast Iowa, Keosauqua is one of the charming small towns we like to visit. On top of a delicious, Chicago-style pizza and steak restaurant, another spot we like is a glass blowing studio.

Nestled on farmland on Route J40, Bloom and Bark Glass Blowing Studio doubles as a nature farm. Back in the fall, we went there for an event that featured everything from live music, an outdoor market, and plenty of animals that made for an enjoyable evening. As a belated Valentine's Day experiential gift, Catherine got the idea that we should try our hand at glass blowing.

A little background: Bloom and Bark is owned by the husband and wife team of Kim and Tim Blair. Kim manages the shop/studio side of the operations while Tim teaches classes involving glass blowing. Their shop is cute and their studio is filled with equipment, although it's neatly organized and maintained. Per Southeast Iowa Union, the two even made their own clay brick ovens from clay on their farm.

I'm not a very crafty person. I'm not particularly deft with working with my hands. Frankly, I was nervous as hell I was going to screw something up during the process. Thanks to the gentle guidance of Tim, a retired doctor now loving his easygoing life as a craftsman, that wasn't going to happen. He was kind enough to give us a roughly 20-minute demonstration of the art of glass blowing.

You start by picking out the two colors you want for your glass. Catherine went with mint-green and light blue. I went with black and yellow. While Hawkeye colors, truthfully, I just liked the contrasting hues and thought they'd pop on the bourbon glass I desired to make.

Catherine was braver than me and was the first one to jump at the opportunity to make her glass. I sat back and watched her and another woman make theirs before I elected to get started. Tim shadows you as your make your creation, guiding your hands and assisting in the process.

The entire process takes about 10 minutes. There are two instances I found the most challenging. The first is rotating your molting glass inside a 2000°F oven. When spinning the lump of glass, it tends to wobble. Your first instinct is to keep spinning the pipe in order so the glass doesn't fall into the vat of unfathomable heat. Instead, you pause your rotation and let gravity realign the glass. It takes some practice.

The second difficult instance is creating the opening for the glass. Thankfully, Tim assists you every step of the way, with monk-like patience and calm. It made my tense-self a lot more relaxed the longer the process went on. Furthermore, you only use three or four tools, but you use the same tools multiple times in different ways. If you're new to glass blowing (and you most likely are), the time it takes for you to get into rhythm will vary.

I was proud (and relieved) when Catherine and I picked up our glassware the following day. The two came out beautifully, and now I have a new vessel in which to sip bourbon and other libations and boast to guests that I made the glass I'm using!

After the glass blowing class, you're free to roam around Bloom and Bark's shop, which is filled with handmade treasures. Tim makes glass fish, birds, ducks, bunnies, vases, and other memorable creations, all of which available for purchases. The farm itself is a lovely backdrop for a quaint hidden gem in southeast Iowa.

Bloom and Bark Glass Blowing Studio is located at 18517 Route J40 in Keosauqua, IA. You can follow them on Facebook, and learn more about their variety of classes here.