Custom Stained Glass Design - Gold Star Banner Hanging
Dating back to the WWI timeframe a Blue Star banner or pendent was used as a sign of a family member in active military service
while a Gold Star banner was reserved for a member who died in active service. The Gold Star was to be sewn over the
Blue Star with a little of the blue still showing. The Department of Defense (DOD) eventually set the design and proportions of the pendent.
I've tried to follow the DOD standards as best I can within the limitations of creating a stained glass
panel from specifications originally intended for a banner hand sewn from fabric. The advantage of a stained glass panel is that the colors
in the glass should last unchanged for many generations. In my opinion a stained glass panel in the approximate dimensions of 8.25" wide and 15.75"
high render the correct proportions, according to the DOD standards, and yield a window hanging that will fit almost any space. This is the
size of the photo shown on the right.
A photo of the just the star area in the panel, with the lead came painted blue, is shown on the left.
My panels are constructed with a zinc outer perimeter, for strength, and traditional lead came for the interior lines.
I clean, wax and polish all my handmade panels. Hanging hooks are attached to the zinc frame. The glass source, colors and texture used are as follows:
- The red border is made from Spectrum Company Cherry Red with a Rough Rolled texture glass (151RR ®).
- The white field is made from Spectrum Company Pure White Opal glass (200S ®).
- The Gold Star is made from Spectrum Company Yellow Transparent Opal (260-72S ®).
- The thin blue trim, around the star, is achieved by painting the lead came that encloses the star blue.
The numbers following the glass descriptions above are the Spectrum Corporation product numbers ®.
Having made such a panel in 2008, I became aware of how meaningful it is to the family. I think this is especially true since a stained glass
panel can become a family item passed on for many generations representing the sacrifice made by the family for our country.
I have created a document that describes how I build a gold star stained glass panel. The file is fairly larger, 6 Megs.
Use the following link to the document -- Gold Star Panel Building Information.
My hope is that other stained glass artists or hobbyists will find this document useful if they have an opportunity to help families.
I would also welcome feedback on the document.
Website created by George A. McGinn © 2002-2010.
Page last modified August 3, 2010
For more information or a price quote, click on this line to send me an email
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