Craftswoman Sarah Sutton now has a wider window on the outside world after opening a new studio workshop in the centre of Kendal.

The artisan specialises in the design, manufacture and restoration of stained glass and leaded lights.

Since forming the business, Northern Lights Stained Glass, some six years ago, she has undertaken a number of repair and restoration projects involving churches.

But Sarah says stained glass should not simply be the preserve of the houses of God and she has used her skills to produce colourful ornaments, including mirrors, clocks and kaleidoscopes, as well as quirky fused glass animal figures and decorative dishes.

Sarah, 36, has her own particular design style for these items, which she describes as "Magic Roundabout meets Tellytubby Land."

The mother-of-two has worked on projects in schools, often tied into an arts week, and most recently she created a window for Kendal's Sandgate School, based on pupils' designs on the theme of journeys.

Opening a workshop on Gillinggate, next to the Salvation Army base, was a natural progression for Sarah, who had previously worked from home in Endmoor.

She opened for business in July and said she automatically felt very much at home, as she used to live just a few yards away and went to school just up the road at Ghyllside Primary.

Sarah decided to branch out because she needed extra space for her work, and she said the eye-catching front door panels on her shop front were a homage to John Piper, one of her favourite stained glass artists.

Craftwork has always appealed to Sarah, who preferred metal and woodwork at school while her friends studied needlework.

After gaining an English degree, she decided to return to practical work and trained with a glass company in Sienna in Tuscany, serving a six-month apprenticeship.

After returning to London, she returned to her home town in 1997 and started her own business a year later.

Work has since been very varied, from designing and making a millennium window for Natland church, to restoring stained glass windows some 30 feet high at a flats development at Trinity Court in Ulverston.

She carries out commissions, supplies her decorative items to a number of shops, and holds courses at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre in the autumn and spring, as well as Cartmel adult education centre. Sarah has also worked on projects with pupils from a number of local schools.

She is currently working on a big restoration project, involving a large mid-Victorian stained glass panel.

While stained glass is most commonly associated with churches, Sarah says it can look equally good on more contemporary buildings.

"People have a concept that stained glass in a modern house wouldn't look right but it looks good in any setting," she told Business Gazette