Stained Glass Patterns; Tips for Making Your Own!
When I first started making stained glass, this part of the process was the most overwhelming to me. The colors, textures, sizing, the shape of my piece, what kind of cuts are even possible to make!….okay *big breath*, let’s take it step by step. In this article, I will demystify the pattern making process by walking you through the most important part of stained glass crafting. A good pattern will set you up for success and serve as a blank canvas for limitless creativity!
That being said, today I will cover the ways you can either get or make your own templates. I will also how you how to correctly apply them to your process. These are the techniques I personally use when I create and after much trial and error, it is the system that has proven most reliable. So without further ado, let’s get glassin’!
Where to find Stained Glass Patterns
If you don’t yet feel confident creating your own patterns, here are a couple resources I used in the beginning that were able to provide me with high-quality renders. While the designs themselves may be a bit generic or traditional, they’re certainly a great place to start and will show you how a proper pattern should be laid out.
freepatternsforstainedglass.com
Planning Out your Design
I always like to start with a rough sketch once I have the subject of my piece in mind. I think about color and the feasibility of my cuts. Now i am not an illustrator by any means but it definitely helps to get out all my ideas in front of me before bringing it into the digital world.
It is VERY important to know how glass behaves and breaks when it’s cut. If you need a refresher, checkout “Perfect Your Glass Cutting Skills.”
Another important tip to keep in mind is to try to avoid having several lines meet in one place. Once you get to soldering you will see that the more lines you have meeting, the bigger the blob of solder will sit at that joint. Not cute! But ultimately the lines you decide to add and where you add them are completely up to you.
I then determine the dimensions and shape I want my piece to be. My answer typically comes down to what potential existing glass is already in my library and my budget. Consider the size of the workspace will be building on. You’ll want to leave yourself about 2 inches more room around your piece just in case it grows throughout the process (ideally this shouldn’t happen but plan for it anyway just in case).
Now that you have your sketch and dimensions…
Let’s Talk About Accuracy
The key to success, when making a stained glass project, is accuracy. Plain and simple. It all starts with your pattern. If it isn't accurate, you'll have problems in every step from then on. You'll have to re-cut glass, fill in big gaps with solder, use wider or narrower lead or zinc around the outside to make it the right size, or worse yet, have to start over because it is too far off to fix.
Digital or Hand drawn?
I personally prefer the efficiency, precision and ability to test different color options but I recommend giving both a try if you’re just starting out! I produce all of my templates digitally using Adobe Illustrator. But if you don’t have access to it or the time to learn a whole new program, Glass Eye 2000 is a fantastic downloadable piece of software that serves as the industry standard of glass pattern making. Try it free for 30 days and then purchase if you like it.
If you’d like to free-hand your pattern, here are some tools you will need:
Pencil
Marker if designing for lead. This is will help to mimic the thickness of your lead lines.
Paper sized to your desired design length and width. *Its good to mention here, tracing paper is designed for creating projects under 12in X 12in (mostly sun catchers).
Lightbox (optional) to make tracing a breeze!
If you are designing digitally, I recommend protecting your pattern from water damage by having your pattern printed and laminated at your local office depot. You will also be able to roll it up and reuse it in the future!
Insider scoop: tell them to print as a “Blueprint” as opposed to a poster. This will be much cheaper.
The choice is then yours to print your pattern pieces on regular or adhesive-backed paper to cut out having to use glue.
Cutting your Pattern
When the pattern is correct you can start making pattern pieces! First, always number each template piece as well as the pattern, and draw directional lines if you are using glass with a definite direction. When cutting for a lead piece, I recommend using pattern shears. They cut out a line exactly the same width as the medium ball point pen line. Just make sure the lines are centered on the shears.
I personally have graduated to a Cricut Maker and it has forever changed the game. No more cutting and hoping my pieces are exact, it does it all. I firmly recommend getting one down the line. I print on adhesive -backed vinyl which will withstand the grinding process with ease.
And there you have it! You now hold all the power and knowledge when it comes to pattern-making so start creating and I am happy to answer any of your burning questions in the comment section below. Happy glassin’!
