Greg's Celtic Cross - Stained Glass Window

Greg contacted me in March, 2012 searching for a Celtic Cross pattern like my Celtic Cross (on the right). He wanted to build his wife a stained glass Celtic Cross for her birthday in late April. He said that he had not been able to find a cross or a pattern he liked, so he asked for my help. Through a series of conversations, he was able to modify and adapt my design to the size he needed.

First... this was Greg's FIRST STAINED GLASS PROJECT! I was really impressed that anyone would tackle this complex a project as a very first project.

Greg is a controls engineer and small business owner, and is obviously a very talented individual. I am amazed at the magnificent job he did (especially for a beginner) and am proud to have been able to help him in a small way with his window. He tells me he has several other stained glass projects planned. I look forward to seeing his next endeavor!

Second..... This was going to be a SURPRISE GIFT for his wife's birthday. He had less than 30 days to complete it and he had to find a secret place to build a piece of glass that would probably take a great deal of time to build.

Greg sent me some pictures of his window during and after construction. What a terrific job!

Greg's Celtic Cross measures about 33" high by 21" wide, contains 99 pieces of glass and was completed in April, 2012. This beautiful and inspirational window now brightens Greg's home in Scott, Louisiana.

I asked Greg how he managed to keep this project a secret. HIS EXPLANATION below is priceless.......

"I tracked my time closely since it was my first attempt. I have about 30hrs in design time and picking out glass. Construction start to finish was closer to 75hrs, including some rework (poorly fitting pieces and one accident broke several while I was trying to fit them.)"

"I have no drawing ability, so I used GlassEye 2000 software to generate the template. I copied the cross picture from your website and shamefully traced it into the software. I then tweaked it a little because I had trouble cutting some of the pieces. I still have the template saved if you have any requests for it. It was my first attempt at designing or using the software and there were some symmetry issues."

"I enjoyed working with the glass because it allowed me to "turn off" work for a while. I repurposed a woodworking bench in the back of my workshop for the stained glass project, which allowed me to leave everything in place so I could work 10min at a time if needed. I covered the project with a sheet to hide it from prying eyes, and also mentioned to my wife that I had seen mice in the shop, which would keep her out."

"The majority of the work was done between 11:00pm to 3:00am. Once everyone went to sleep I snuck out to the shop and worked till I got tired. Some weekends I could work 4 or 5 hours straight, if no one was home. Other times I snuck out of work during the day ( I only live 10mins away) and put in a few hours when no one was home. I also enlisted my oldest son to act as lookout so I could work on it during the day when my wife was home."

"My wife Cherie, was very surprised when she opened it for her birthday, but thought I had just bought it. I had to show her the pictures and work bench to convince her it was something I built. My problem now is that I have to come up with another panel to finish out that window."