6 Ways to Create Stained Glass Patterns

How to Create a Pattern for Stained Glass

Creating a stained glass pattern is not as difficult as you might think. You can use various computer programs and methods to design or sketch your own.

What You'll Need:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Photocopier (or access to one)
• Personal printer (optional)
• Scanner (optional)

I'll show you six different ways to create a pattern, which include:

1. Downloading existing designs to create templates.
2. Designing something custom from scratch.
3. Using bevels.
4. Finding designs in pattern books.
5. Taking designs from photographs.
6. Copying coloring books.

1. Download a Free Pattern

There are various websites from which you can download free patterns. One of my favorite places to select patterns from is Spectrum Glass. To download patterns from this site, you will need to sign up for an account. The only thing required is your name and email address. Once you have an account you can view all the various patterns that they have to offer. When you find the pattern that you like, download it to your computer via a PDF (Portable Document Format) file.

The picture of the frog is from one of the many patterns that I've downloaded to create a stained glass window hanging light catcher.

• Once the file has been saved to your computer you can print it or enlarge or shrink it to the size that you prefer.
• You will then want to print two copies. One to use as your pattern and the other to cut shapes for glass cutting.
• Glass colors and glass textures are your own personal preference as to what you use. These patterns do come with suggested colors.
• For the eyes you can use a marker to color them or use glass beads.

2. Design Your Own Pattern

My husband is a big Chevy fan and I wanted to design a stained glass piece for the garage. I had an actual Chevy emblem from off of one of his vehicles, so I started with it. I drew out the pattern on a sheet of graph paper. I'd decided beforehand that the piece would have beveled glass to frame the piece. Bevels come in many different shapes and sizes. I chose four straight bevels measuring ten inches in length by one inch in width. I used mirrored glass on the emblem outline to make it look like chrome. The center of the emblem is a blue and gray striped glass. The background pieces are black onyx glass.

Creating your own pattern can be fun and rewarding. Abstract pieces can be easily made by using graph paper, a ruler and a pencil.

3. Use Bevels

The first photo I show you in this article was made using a beveled flower. I saw it in a stained-glass supply store and liked it. When I bought it, I had no idea what I was going to make out, but I ended up creating this piece for a kitchen cabinet insert! The flower has 5 petals and the center piece.

• Measure the exact size needed for the insert on a piece of graph paper.
• Place the beveled flower in the center of the paper and trace around it.
• Draw the three flower leaves by hand. From there, draw out the rest of the pattern.

4. Pattern Books

With most stained glass pattern books, you will need to do the following to create the design:

1. Choose a pattern.
2. Enlarge the pattern on a photocopier to the desired size or scan it on your computer to enlarge it.

With a photo copier, it can all be printed out in one piece. If doing this on your computer, you may need to print it out in several sheets. Personally, I find it much easier to do on a photo copier.

5. Use Photographs

Scan the photo onto your computer and save it in a program or use with a stained glass program such as DragonFly Software.

6. Coloring Books

For making really cute sun-catchers, coloring books are a great place to find patterns. Simply trace over the picture using a piece of paper, and you have your basic pattern. Make a copy of it so that you have your pattern, and then use the copy for the individual glass pieces you need to cut out.

Stained Glass Sugar Cookies Made Easy

Cook Time

Prep time: 1 hour 45 min

Cook time: 8 min

Ready in: 1 hour 53 min

Yields: approximately 4 dozen cookies (depending on size)

Recipe for Stained Glass Window Cookies

I've always loved stained glass windows. I was recently inspired to make these cookies while designing a stained glass window art project using crayons. I made these cookies with my mom on Mother's day and we both had a lot of fun. The process goes a little quicker with an extra person and it's a neat way to get an array of different cookies with a second creative mind. My mom made her cookies multi-color while I used one color for each cookie window.

I made my dough the day before and kept it wrapped in plastic in the frig overnight. I did the decorating and baking the second day, which also helped break up the length of the process.

Holiday Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter or margarine, softened
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bag hard, clear candies

Instructions

1. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter and shortening. Beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well blended.
3. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until soft dough forms.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour or two. I put mine in a ziplock bag and chilled in frig overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with foil and spray foil lightly with cooking spray.
6. Divide dough into thirds, working with a third at a time. Flour your surface well and roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut shapes out of dough. I used the lid of a mason jar (the threaded piece that actually screws onto the jar).
7. Using a knife or smaller cookie cutters, cut out shapes within your cookie to serve as windows. Place on cookie sheet.
8. Crush hard candies. Using a hammer and dish towels, I crushed individually-wrapped lifesavers inside their little packages and had perfect packets of candy dust. This made pouring and clean up VERY EASY. Pour crushed candies into your windows.
9. Bake in oven for 7-10 minutes. Candies should be completely melted. If over-baked (cookies will be too golden), candies will taste bitter.
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Remove carefully from foil.
11. Enjoy!

Tips

• Keep flour handy for dusting your surface, hands, rolling pin etc
• Using too much crushed candy can cause your design to bubble over
• Using too little crushed candy will result in holes in your glass
• Do not remove cookies from pan until 100% cooled. If you do this too soon, the melted "glass" will stick to foil or weaken where it is attached to cookie.

Heather Says: I love how these cookies came out. I don't have an arsenal of cookie cutters (yet) but this cookie idea is perfect for mixing and matching shapes and colors. Use this for holiday cookies or just when you feel like making something beautiful!

photo by Heather Says

Stained "Glass" Window: an Art Project with Crayons and Wax paper

 
I first made this project over twenty years ago in grade school and was thinking about it recently. It's easy, fun, and a great way to finish up old and broken crayons. This project also inspired me to make some stained glass sugar cookies.

Supplies

You will need:

• crayons
• crayon sharpener
• wax paper
• cardboard or other protection
• black construction paper or cardstock
• iron
• paper towels
• glue
• exacto knife

Instructions

1. Use a white or light-colored crayon/colored pencil to draw your design on the back of your black paper. I used cardstock with a shiny side, so the dull side was my "back." Otherwise, skip this step if you wish to freehand. I have done both ways.

2. Using an exacto knife, cut out your design. Be sure to leave a border around anything you cut to keep your "window" intact. Use your lines/drawing as a guide and cut inside and outside of the lines, but not on them. You're essentially cutting out a stencil.

3. Spray the "back side" of your black window stencil paper with spray glue (I use Aleene's tacky spray glue and I swear by the stuff. You can find it at Michael's).

4. Tear a piece of wax paper off the roll a little larger than your stained glass window stencil. Carefully place wax paper on your stencil or your stencil on your wax paper, whichever is easier for you. Place waxpaper side up and smooth down with hands.

my husband used one color each section

5. Keep your art waxpaper side up to use as a template. If you haven't yet, protect your work area. make sure cardboard or a few layers of newspaper are between your work surface and your art. The crayons will bleed through the waxpaper, believe me. Begin sharpening your crayons. I have since lost my prized crayon sharpener from my childhood and forgot to buy one for this project so I carefully used my chopping knife. Avoid crayon chunks, they need to be shavings/crumbs, or they won't melt evenly/properly.

6. When satisfied with crayon coverage, place a second piece of waxpaper on top. Your crayon shavings should be sandwiched between two pieces of waxpaper at this point, with your black stencil as the very bottom layer and is facing the surface you're working on.

7. Place a paper towel or two on top of your project and begin ironing. The paper towel is protecting your iron from getting melted wax on it, as the wax paper can bleed. Do a section at a time, peeking under your paper towel to ensure everything is melting the way you want it to. Too much heat for too long will cause the colors to mud together. Too much pressure and movement with the iron will also cause your colors to swirl, but too much will turn your design from colorful to muddy. Pay attention and take your time.

8. When crayons are melted to your liking, allow to cool for a minute. Using an exacto knife again, trim the excess wax paper away from the black edges. If your papers are separating from each other and the melted wax, simply use the tip of the iron and your paper towel to re-melt/seal the edges. Make sure you're applying heat to only the edges or you'll melt more of your image and might accidentally ruin it.

9. All done! Hang as frig art or window art. If you really love it, frame it in a double glass frame which will allow light to come through the back and hang it somewhere bright. Enjoy!

Heather Says: This is still a fun project 20 years later. Please be careful using your iron and knife. Use this project to create multiple panels (or a large panel) to use in a window. Finish edges with black tape if using in sunny/hot windows to keep wax from melting out.