Ashley Gessler SHD {Sweaty Horse Designs}: I can't believe it's NOT stained glass! {Part 2}

To start my project, I lined the window with masking tape so I could write notes. This isn't my first stained glass project (First Things First) so I've learned a few things and am hoping this time things will go more smoothly even though the design is more complicated than the one I tackled last time. I measured the panes of glass and wrote them on the printed picture of, "Option #5" from Part 1 of this blog. I began marking my 1" border around the edges of the glass. Next, I did some quick calculations, wrote them all down on my printed design, and got to work.

I think messy.

In my first window project, I didn't know that the upper and lower panes are slightly different sizes, so it really threw me for a loop when my guidelines were all screwed up! Not the case this time around. The upper pane (in this case it's the left one) is 27" wide by 31.5" high while the lower pane is 26.75" wide by 30.5" high.

Once all my marks had been made for the 1" frame and grid-like frame behind the flowers, I laid carbon paper on the window and, using a ruler with a square end, began tracing my guidelines onto the window itself. I decided to draw only the straight lines for the clear and white grid-like frame behind the flowers and free-hand everything else (aka the flowers, vines, and leaves).

Using carbon paper to trace your guidelines is tedious and time consuming, but it gets the job done.

Making the decision on where to start with the leading process was difficult. I struggled a long time with whether to begin with the flowers, or try and lead as much of the straight background lines as possible. Eventually, I decided to lead the 1" frame first because they are all uninterrupted straight lines. My plan is to lead the flowers second, leaves third, vines fourth, and the straight background lines last. The carbon lines easily wash off the glass with Windex if I need to erase any of them so they don't show through.