What to Expect at a Stained Glass Workshop with Eirlume Studio
We recently held a stained glass workshop in North Leitrim Women’s Centre. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to attend one of our stained glass workshops, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what to expect from the tools you’ll use to the stunning sun catchers you’ll take home.
Learn the Tiffany-Style Technique
In our workshops, we use the Tiffany-style technique of stained glass, which was developed by Louis Comfort Tiffany back in the late 1800s. Instead of the chunky lead came, this method uses copper foil and soldering, perfect for more detailed designs. It’s great for curved and small pieces, which makes it ideal for the kind of designs we love to make at our workshops.
Choose Your Design
For this workshop, we offered floral and letter patterns. If a workshop falls around a festive time, we like to match the vibe, so at Christmas you’ll be making lovely stained glass decorations.
Tools and Materials Provided
Each participant is given all the tools and materials they need to complete their piece, including:
Coloured and clear glass
Grosing pliers
Toyo glass cutter
Copper foil
Fid (for smoothing foil)
Cork-backed ruler for safe cutting
Scissors and Sharpie for pattern tracing
Safety glasses for protection
Flux and soldering supplies
Step-by-Step Guidance
We start with going through some safety tips and an introduction to cutting glass. Participants practise straight cuts using a ruler and move on to cutting curves with clear glass. Once everyone feels confident with the tools, it's time to choose their coloured glass.
Minimising Waste & Working Thoughtfully
We’re all about making mindfully, so we show you how to lay out your pattern in a way that keeps glass waste to a minimum and makes the most of offcuts. Sustainability’s important to us, and let’s be honest, the stained glass isn’t cheap, so it’s worth using every bit wisely!
Time to foil
Once the pieces are cut, it’s time to copper foil each one. We show you how to apply the foil and use a fid to burnish it, ensuring it sticks securely to the glass.
Let’s solder
Then comes the exciting part, soldering! Which is always our favourite part of any stained glass project. After applying flux, we demonstrate how to use a soldering iron to melt the solder and join the pieces together.
Final Touches and Take-Home Treasures
Participants learn how to clean their stained glass and apply patina to turn the solder lines a deep black, which really makes the colours pop. We then attach hanging hoops (this bit is a little tricky, so I do it for you), and just like that, your stained glass suncatcher is ready to hang in your window and let gorgeous coloured light into your home.
A Day of Creativity and Calm
Workshops with Eirlume Studio aren’t just about making, they’re about slowing down and trying something new. Past participants have told us how they were completely in the moment and lost track of time. We also make space for a proper lunch break, plus plenty of tea and chats.
Interested in Joining a Workshop?
Keep an eye on our Stained Glass Workshops page or sign up to our newsletter to hear about upcoming workshop dates. Whether you're coming alone, with a friend or gifting a day out to someone special, our stained glass workshops are a great way to spend a day.
Next Intro to Stained Glass Workshop
Saturday 8th August 2025
10:00am to 4:00pm
Any questions?
If you have any queries about our stained glass workshops please drop us a message via the form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Or feel free to phone Vanessa during regular business hours on +353 87 297 2953.
We look forward to seeing you at one of our workshops soon.