Throughout its thousand-year history, stained glass has been known as colored glass outlined in black - usually leading - and found in windows of churches or other religious buildings. Stained Glass is still popular today and often referred to as art glass.
As a quilter we also know Stained Glass in the textile world. It is a popular form of applique using bright fabrics for the 'glass' and usually but not always black bias binding for the 'leading'. Stained Glass Applique can also be referred to as bias strip applique and is a form of applique where the edges of any applique shapes are covered with bias binding.
Over the years I have made a number of Stained Glass Applique projects. One of the first which I taught in Arizona was a simple poppy design for a beginner's workshop.
Although I don't teach this design anymore as a workshop, it is available as a pattern on my website. In more recent years, I updated the pattern to include a little more advanced version of the same pattern. Both sets of templates are included in the one pattern.
After the first stained glass poppy was designed, I developed a better (in my opinion) beginner's workshop creating a poinsettia design as the project. This proved to be very popular as a workshop and a pattern.
This workshop "Beginners Stained Glass Applique" is available online as an on-demand class so students can sign up anytime and have a beautiful project made in no time at all.
The original workshop was mostly written text and images which I wanted to update to videos so while updating it, I created another stained glass, this time a sunflower.
Stained Glass Sunflower introduced into the beginner's workshop
Both patterns and instructions are included in the workshop as well as available as individual patterns: Christmas Poinsettia and Sunflower
The class not only teaches you how to make both patterns but also how to make your own bias binding using either a bias maker or bias bars. Both methods are ideal for Stained Glass applique or other techniques such as bias stems on a project. For example, you could easily create bias stems for my free poppy pattern.
or Celtic work....
Following the beginner's project, I took Stained Glass Applique to a new level of complexity. Unlike a real Stained Glass window, Scarlet Rose (as my quilt is called) has the 'leading' turning corners - definitely not something you can do in real Stained Glass work. My workshop shows how to do this with ease making neatly mitered corners for ANY angle.... and all without burning your fingers!
My Advanced Stained Glass Applique workshop is definitely a bit more challenging but still a lot of fun to make. I love seeing which colors students use and love giving any one-on-one help should a student need it..... And as are the others, this rose design is also available as a quilt pattern!
Poppies, Sunflowers, and Roses, what flower should I make next? Let me know in the comments below.
