Where To Find Free Stained Glass Patterns
Stained glass is a beautiful and timeless art form. Creating stained glass projects can be an enjoyable and rewarding hobby, but it can also be expensive. Solder alone has doubled in price in the last few months! Today I’ll be sharing a few of my favorite places where you can find free stained glass patterns online.
Why use a stained glass pattern?
One way to help keep costs down when creating stained glass projects is to use patterns. Patterns help to minimize waste by allowing you to plan out your project ahead of time, and they also provide a helpful guide for choosing colors. Part of the magic of stained glass is know what types of cuts you can make by hand (and which ones require a saw).
Now I’m kind of old-school when it comes to stained glass and the process to create pieces. In my opinion, if you can’t score, break or grind the piece to make a curve, it shouldn’t be made. Having extremely thin pieces or sharp curves in a pattern (and project) is just looking for trouble. When you have extremely thin or sharp curves they are a weak part of the glass and are more prone to crack when soldering because the area heats too much creating a heat crack. Sometimes weak pieces (aka: unrealistic cuts) will also crack over time just from pressure.
Why shouldn’t I just use patterns from Pinterest?
While Pinterest is a great resource for INSPIRATION. It's important to remember that many stained glass artists have copywrites to their images and patterns. Think about it, the stained glass artist has taken time to think about the line placement of the project, their imagination and creativity of the piece, and then the actual creation of the pattern whether that’s with an online program or drawing it out on paper. There is a lot of thought and time that goes into an original pattern and project.
Now purchasing patterns is always an option (there are a lot of great patterns for sale on Etsy), but it can add to the cost of your project. Luckily, there are many free stained glass patterns available online.
My favorite online sources for free patterns
Facebook groups
There are a ton of Facebook groups dedicated to stained glass and most of them have members who create and share their patterns for free. Most of them do require you to agree to a few group rules, and then you’re in. A few of my favorites are:
This is a beginners group with a lot of great questions and answers as well as patterns. I have found this to be a very supportive group!
There are some amazing artists in this group who share so much knowledge about stained glass as well as a lot of free patterns.
Stained Glass Patterns, Free Patterns, Easy Stained Glass Projects
This is a huge group of stained glass enthusiasts who love to share their work, struggles, knowledge and patterns. If you’re looking for some major inspiration you will find it here!
Not Grandma’s Glass, but Ours!
If you’re looking for some inspiration that is a little edgier, look no further. The imagination of these artists is incredible!
Can I just say, this man is an amazing artist?! The amount of free patterns he shares is incredible! What a service he is providing and all for free. You can find simple designs as well as complex panels with hundreds of pieces designed by Bill. I probably have at least 200 patterns of his saved, many of which I will probably never complete in my lifetime.
Websites
Spectrum Glass Patterns
Update 7/28/24: The Spectrum Glass Pattern website has either been compromised or is no longer being maintained. I have still seen some of their patterns floating around Google and Pinterest. I think Spectrum Glass Patterns are the OG of pattern makers. The majority of these patterns are beginner friendly and are easily downloaded and printed right from your computer. There’s a wide variety of projects along with glass color suggestions.
Delphi has over 100 free patterns from simple designs to jewelry, lampshades & detailed panels. Delphi is another OG in the stained glass genre, they started back in 1972.
Think outside the box
There are several ways to create your own stained glass patterns.
Trace from a coloring book and add/remove lines where necessary.
Trace from a photograph. Start by tracing the outlines of the shapes and add detail where necessary.
Look up “line art” in Google. For instance if you were looking for a butterfly type in the search box “butterfly line art”, and adjust the lines as necessary.
Use a program like Procreate and draw your own patterns.
Get patterns right here!
From time to time I do create my own patterns. If you’re interested in receiving them, be sure to join my email list so you don’t miss out!
How to use patterns
There are several ways in which to use your stained glass patterns to transfer the pattern onto the glass in order to score and break to the correct shape. My preferred method is to use pattern shears to cut out the pattern, and then adhere them directly to the glass and then follow the pattern with your glass cutter. Sometimes I will also trace around the pattern directly onto the glass using a Sharpie or paint pen. This is helpful when you are making several of the same project.
Stained glass is a timeless art
Stained glass is a beautiful and timeless art form. Whether you're a hobbyist or a professional artist, there are plenty of places to find free patterns. So what are you waiting for? Grab your supplies and get started today!