Muffinjaw Designs, Mobile

Functional and Decorative Glass Art

‍When two lifelong friends stumbled into a glass-blowing studio class simply because they needed one more humanities credit to complete their requirements at the University of South Alabama, they never imagined that it would lead them to launch a business they love. 

‍That is exactly what happened to Freddie Blanche and Tres Johns, both from Mobile, who comprise two-thirds of Muffinjaw Designs. Gage Nobles, a couple of years behind them at South, also found his way to the glass-blowing studio. 

“Not many colleges offer this course,” says Freddie. “I thought we were going to do lampworking, you know, like the guy who sets up in the mall with a torch and makes stuff.” Tres first saw a guy blowing glass at Dollywood and was curious to learn more. 

‍“Tres and I are sitting behind the torches in the classroom when the professor tells us to get up and walk into the “Hot Shop” as they call the room with furnaces operating 24/7, 365 days a year,” says Freddie. “He opens the furnace doors and we are drawn in like moths to a flame.” This curriculum is part of the Arts and Art History Department at South Alabama, where all three earned  Bachelor of Fine Arts Degrees with a concentration in Glass and a secondary in Sculpting.

‍Freddie tells me that the studio glass movement began in the early 60s. “We liked the applied science of glass blowing. It’s like a dance with physics.” They took that first-semester introductory course with 14 other students, and he and Tres were lab partners. “It’s very difficult to blow glass by yourself,” he says. “We kind of thought we were one and done, but then figured out this was it for us, and we’ve never looked back.”

‍Glass blowing begins with clear soda lime glass, and the color is added. In fact, in the first class, students were assigned to purchase a specific color which would be an identifying mark for their work. Color costs anywhere from $30 to $70 per kilo and soda lime glass is only produced in Germany and New Zealand (at the time). Freddie tells me, “At the end of the first class, we gave our color back to the professor, then we went back into the program and had to ask for it back so we wouldn’t have to pay for it again.”

‍A company in Americus, Georgia, called Mobile Glassblowing Studios, was the first to commercially offer a portable gas-fired furnace that was a game changer for glass blowers. Instead of limited access to stationary furnaces like the ones used at South Alabama’s Art Department, the portable furnace enabled people to open private studios and the glass-blowing business began to boom.

‍In 2017, while Freddie was still in school, he sold his car and with matching funds from his Dad, he purchased a Baby Dragon furnace from Mobile Glassblowing Studios. He set up shop in his backyard. Freddie says when they first started working with the Baby Dragon, they messed up in every way possible, which was necessary for understanding how to blow glass correctly. “Most of our first blown pieces doubled as paperweights.” 

‍He explains that there are many different steps and are no shortcuts. “You will pay for shortcuts. When you are working on a piece, you must concentrate on the task at hand, but also think  about the next 20 steps in sequence to complete the process.” 

After graduation, they asked themselves, “What are we going to do with this?” Most people have to leave the area to find jobs. They traveled all over the country to music and craft festivals, setting up shops, demonstrating how blown glass is done, and selling their work. Their first gig was at the South Sounds Music and Arts Festival in downtown Mobile.

‍Along the way, Freddie met a couple at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival who have operated Augusta Glass Studio in Augusta, Missouri, outside of St. Louis, since 1992. Located in the Missouri wine country area that was greatly influenced by the Rhineland area in Germany, Freddie went to visit them and was impressed. 

‍They stayed in touch through festivals and arts and crafts shows, and one day they mentioned they were looking for an assistant. Freddie did an on-the-spot interview and got the job. It was a two-year apprenticeship but was cut short after a year and a half when the pandemic started. “All the festivals and crafts shows were canceled, and the revenue dried up, so I moved back home in 2020.”

‍Freddie credits this apprenticeship with Sam Stang and his wife, Kaeko Maehata for helping him gain the experience needed to start his own glass-blowing business. “What’s great is you can take the furnace out of the studio and show people how glass blowing works.” 

‍In 2020, Freddie relaunched Muffinjaw Designs. In a matter of months, after COVID restrictions were lifted, they went back to festivals, creating things by hand to sell to retail shops, like flowers, small vases, barware, and drinking glasses. Then they came up with the idea to host mini-class sessions so people could experience glass blowing. “People were fascinated by the opportunity to blow their own glass art. No two pieces are ever the same.”  ‍

‍Freddie, Gage, and Tres took the Mini Dragon all across the country blowing glass and selling their art at music festivals, and arts and crafts shows. They each bring different artistic skill sets to the process. They have it down to a science. “It’s hard work,” says Freddie. “We schedule breaks so each of us can catch our breath and stay safe.”

‍Today, they still travel to festivals, but you will often find them offering 10 to 20-minute glass-blowing sessions at museums and art centers throughout the Scenic 98 Coastal area.  “Inflating your own glass is pretty cool and people love it,” says Freddie. “If you can blow, you can go. If you can’t blow, we have a blood pressure pump to help you create literal hand-blown glass.”

‍About a third of Muffinjaw Designs' time is spent creating blown-glass art to sell at retail shops. Another third is spent at scheduled events for the “Blow Your Own Glass” sessions from New Orleans to Defuniak Springs, Florida. “The mini sessions are great for private events and draw lots of attention and interest.” 

‍I first met Freddie at Corner Copia Gardens’ grand opening, where they were entertaining customers who were invited to join in. It was a big hit! “Kids from 4 years old to 104 years old love it,” he says.  You can schedule Muffinjaw for private parties, corporate events, or anywhere you want a “wow factor.” 

These sessions give people an opportunity to create their own keepsake pieces of hand-blown art. They also have other beautiful blown-glass items for sale. The mini-sessions require customers to stay on site for an hour to an hour and a half while their art cools. This is a good incentive for them to shop or visit the galleries while they wait.

‍On weekends, you will often find Muffinjaw Designs doing two-day events at the Eastern Shore Art Center or Mobile Museum of Art. Freddie and I visited a few weeks ago during one of their breaks. “With the 10-minute sessions, people reserve their slot to blow glass. We usually stick to one or two items at these events like drinkware or seasonal decorations.”

‍Thirty percent of Muffinjaw’s blown-glass creations are sold wholesale to gift shops, and breweries, or given as corporate gifts. You can add a corporate branding logo to customized items and choose a color palette that matches the logo.  Muffinjaw Design glass art can be found at 13 retailers in the area and it’s growing.

‍For private events, it takes them 10 to 12 hours to set up and must be in a covered area to protect the equipment and hot glass from rain. This includes four hours working with glass and anywhere from 12 to 24 guests can create hand-blown art.

‍Muffinjaw Design is growing through word-of-mouth and social media. If you would like to inquire about booking them for your next event or have some customized art made for corporate gifts, contact Freddie Blache at (251) 288-7177 or go to their Facebook or Instagram page: @muffinjawdesigns.com

‍It’s so much fun, we often list the mini-sessions in our weekly newsletter in Tidbits and Best Bets and on our website at Scenic98Coastal.com, so look for Muffinjaw Designs at an art center near you!