Water Lily window pattern cut

A new project .. Yesterday, I started on a 28-3/4" x 16" water lily window to be hung in an upstairs bedroom window.  My customer wanted more water in the design, so I customized it from the original.  See the "before" and "after" designs below.  I removed the lines from the lower portion and added more water. 

Here is a color rendition of how finished window will look, using the glass that my customer and I chose.  It will be a nice mix of realistic blue waterglass and green wispy glass, for a brushstroke effect on the leaves.  We added whites, soft grays and pinks, and a dash of yellow glass as well.

I ran the design through re-sizing software and created a "life size" pattern which is the exact dimensions needed for the window.  Below is part of the full-size design which shows each piece numbered with colors assigned to each piece. For glass with texture, I also added hatch marks as a guide for placing the glass on the pattern, to achieve a more realistic effect.

Next, I prepared the pattern for the glass by tracing the full-size design onto manila folders.  Then I cut out the pieces with special double-bladed pattern scissors.  The scissors allow for "breathing room" between each piece which is needed for the copper foil which will be added later. Then I sorted the pattern pieces into envelopes, by glass color.

After the manila pattern was cut into pieces, I added a metal jig, or fence, around the perimeter of the full-size pattern. The jig will serve to contain the glass and keep all four borders straight and true, which will make for easier framing with metal channel when the window is complete.

Today, I started cutting the glass.  Eight pieces are cut as of now, with forty-five more to go.  Stay tuned as this window takes shape.  Its going to be a beauty!

Click here to see more stained glass at Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.