| Stained glass can add style and decor to your | | | | these copies, cut out the board into pieces |
| home. You may have contemplated doing it but | | | | following the design lines and label each piece |
| have been prohibited by the cost of design. Like | | | | appropriately. These cut pieces will form the |
| many other home beautification projects, you can | | | | template during the glass cutting, soldering and |
| create your own stained glass patterns. You do | | | | staining processes. The other templates can be |
| not need to be an expert in glass. You can do it | | | | used to match the color codes at your local glass |
| manually by hand drawing the desired style on a | | | | or paint store. |
| cardboard template. | | | | When making the design, make sure that none of |
| The more common and user-friendly method is to | | | | the pieces is too small as this will prove tricky to |
| instead use easily accessible desktop software. In | | | | implement. Glass is brittle and the risk of breakage |
| no time, you will achieve the stained glass pattern | | | | must be minimized as this might entail you |
| you required. Software has the advantage of | | | | incurring extra expense of purchasing new glass. |
| allowing more leeway in the manipulation of the | | | | Also, avoid having too many lines converging at |
| design such as resizing. There are sophisticated | | | | one point. The problem with this becomes evident |
| and specialized commercial design applications but | | | | during the soldering process where points of |
| they are costly and will remove the fun of | | | | convergence for multiple lines will look chunky and |
| creating your own pattern. | | | | reduce the windows aesthetic value. |
| The stained glass pattern you design must be in | | | | Avoid making a glass pattern for a large window. |
| line with your own level of expertise. If you are a | | | | The large the window, then the more complex |
| beginner making glass for the first time, you | | | | the process of actualizing your design onto the |
| would want to start with a simple pattern. In fact, | | | | window will be. It would be advisable for you to |
| the pattern can consist of just a couple of lines. | | | | resist developing a design for a window that |
| The fewer lines means you will have fewer joints | | | | exceeds sixty centimeters on its longest side. |
| on the glass itself. This is good in keeping the | | | | Any window exceeding this will require additional |
| amount of soldering during the actual patterning of | | | | reinforcement, which might entail engaging a glass |
| the glass at a minimum. More soldering means a | | | | expert to do. |
| greater chance of damage and glass breakage. | | | | Whether it is to increase the overall ambiance |
| Once you are through making the design by hand | | | | within the home, to salvage and recycle glass or |
| or on the computer, develop between three and | | | | to hide certain areas from view whether inside or |
| four copies of the design. The copies must be of | | | | outside the home, glass patterns are easy to |
| the same size as the actual windows that the | | | | make and can be done from the comfort of your |
| pattern will be fitted onto. For at least one of | | | | home. |