General Studio Policies

Clear expectations help everyone create safely, confidently, and comfortably.

The Glass Patch is a small, private stained-glass studio. These policies protect the time, preparation, materials, and care that go into each visit while keeping the experience personal and welcoming. Please contact Liz if you have a question about how a policy applies to your reservation.

 

Reservations, Payment & Booking

Payment is generally due in full at the time of booking. A reservation is confirmed when the required payment has been received. Private payment arrangements may be considered individually but are not part of the standard booking process.

Certificate Program participants may pay $475 in full or use the published payment plan: a $175 deposit at registration and the remaining $300 due 14 days before the first class.

Booking availability varies by offering. Private classes and Project Support generally close 24 hours before the scheduled start; Panel Workshops close 7 days before; and Certificate Program registration closes 14 days before the first class.

 

Reservations may generally be made up to 90 days in advance.

 

Cancellations, Rescheduling & Changes

Customer cancellations

• Cancellations made 7 or more days before the first scheduled session receive a full refund.

• Cancellations made fewer than 7 days before the first session, but before the class or program begins, receive a 50% refund.

• No refunds are available after a class, workshop, appointment, or multi-session program begins.

• A no-show forfeits the payment for the missed reservation.

 

Rescheduling

A reservation may be rescheduled when at least 24 hours’ notice is provided, subject to availability. Please contact The Glass Patch as soon as possible if illness, an emergency, or another unexpected situation affects your visit.

 

Individual circumstances may be handled with reasonable discretion.

 

Changes made by The Glass Patch

If The Glass Patch must cancel an offering, the participant may transfer the payment to another available date or receive a full refund. If a session needs to be rescheduled, the proposed change will be discussed with the participant before the reservation is moved. The participant may accept the new date, choose another available date, or receive a full refund.

 

Certificate Program Policies

Certificate cohorts require at least two registered participants. If a cohort does not reach the minimum, a registered participant may transfer to another cohort, receive a full refund, or continue as a private participant by paying the difference between the $475 cohort registration and the $750 private-program price.

A Certificate Program registration may be transferred to another eligible participant before the program begins. It cannot be transferred after the program has started.

If a participant misses a Certificate Program class, included Finishing Time may be used to continue or complete the work. A private makeup session of up to three hours may be scheduled for $50.

 

Age Requirements, Waivers & Safety

Participants must be at least 12 years old to take part in a class or activity involving soldering.

 

A parent or legal guardian must complete the required waiver and provide consent for every participant under 18. Individual offerings may have additional age requirements based on the tools, materials, and project involved.

 

Mosaic experiences that do not involve cutting or soldering may be available to younger makers as described in the offering.

Every participant must complete the required waiver before participating. The person making a reservation is responsible for ensuring that each additional participant receives and completes their own waiver.

Stained-glass work involves sharp glass, hot soldering irons, grinders and other equipment, lead-containing materials, flux, patina, and other studio chemicals. Participants are expected to follow all instructions and safety requirements, including:

 

• Wear closed-toe shoes and required eye protection.

• Secure long hair and restrain loose clothing or jewelry when necessary.

• Use tools and equipment only after instruction and approval.

• Handle glass, irons, chemicals, and lead-containing materials as directed.

• Wash hands thoroughly after working and before eating or drinking.

• Keep food and beverages away from workbenches and designated glasswork areas.

 

Participants who are pregnant, nursing, immunocompromised, or concerned about lead or chemical exposure should consult a qualified healthcare professional before participating.

 

Studio Conduct, Equipment & Damage

The Glass Patch is committed to providing a respectful, inclusive, and safe environment. Harassment, threatening behavior, intentional damage, unsafe conduct, or behavior that seriously interferes with another person’s experience may result in removal from the studio without a refund.

Participants may use only the tools and equipment appropriate to their scheduled activity and for which they have received instruction. Some equipment, including the ring saw, may require a separate orientation, appointment, or reservation.

 

Normal wear and genuine accidents can happen. A participant may, however, be responsible for reasonable repair or replacement costs when studio property is damaged through intentional conduct, unauthorized use, misuse, or failure to follow safety instructions.

 

Anyone impaired by alcohol, cannabis, medication, or another substance may not operate tools or participate in glasswork.

 

Materials & Personal Projects

Standard materials included with a class or workshop are described in the individual offering. Premium or specialty glass, bevels, decorative elements, specialty foil, unusual metal profiles, excessive quantities, unusual construction materials, and major project changes may require an additional charge.

 

Participants may bring their own glass, patterns, and ordinary project materials when appropriate for the scheduled activity. Please obtain advance approval before bringing chemicals, specialty metals, adhesives, paints, electrical components, salvaged materials, or unfamiliar products into the studio.

 

Glass is naturally fragile, and variations or hidden weaknesses may not be visible before cutting, grinding, soldering, storage, or transport. The Glass Patch will use reasonable care but cannot guarantee against accidental cracks, breakage, material defects, or damage to participant work.

 

Participants are responsible for personal tools, glass, clothing, and other belongings brought into or left at the studio.

 

Panel Workshop Projects

Panel Workshop ideas must be submitted at least 7 days before the first session. Participants may submit an existing pattern, inspiration image, personal photograph, sketch, or general project idea. The project tier must be confirmed before custom pattern preparation begins.

Piece count is the primary tier guide, but shape difficulty, materials, construction techniques, and overall project complexity may affect the appropriate tier. If a submitted project belongs in a larger tier, the participant may upgrade or select a simpler version.

 

Ordinary resizing, simplifying, mirroring, or preparation needed for the approved workshop project is included. Custom Pattern Development beyond normal workshop preparation is priced separately.

 

Maker Studio Time, Finishing Time & Maker Passes

Maker Studio Time is intended for makers who are able to work with an appropriate level of independence. Reservations are made in two-hour blocks, with a maximum of three makers in the studio at one time. 

 

Maker Passes are valid for 12 months and may be used to reserve eligible Maker Studio Time. Finishing Time, Project Support, Ring Saw Time, and other appointments are scheduled separately as described in their individual offerings.

 

Makers are expected to return shared tools and supplies to their proper locations and leave the workspace reasonably clean at the end of the reservation.

 

Unfinished Projects & Storage

Projects and personal materials left at The Glass Patch will be kept for 60 days after the participant’s last scheduled session. After 60 days, unclaimed items may be discarded or repurposed unless other arrangements have been made.

The Glass Patch will take reasonable care of stored projects but cannot guarantee against accidental damage, breakage, loss, or material deterioration while an item remains in the studio.

 

Pattern & Reference Image Policy

The Glass Patch is committed to respecting the creativity and work of other artists. Participants may bring an original design, a properly licensed pattern, a photograph they own, or inspiration that can be used to develop something new together.

 

Acceptable source material

The Glass Patch can generally work from participant-created artwork, participant-owned photographs, properly purchased or licensed patterns, public-domain material, material used with the creator’s permission, and genuinely original designs developed from general inspiration.

 

An image appearing on Pinterest, Facebook, Google Images, Etsy, or another public website does not mean that the image or design is free to reproduce. The Glass Patch will not knowingly trace or reproduce another artist’s pattern, artwork, illustration, photograph, or digital image without appropriate permission or licensing.

 

Purchased and licensed patterns

When a participant wants to use a specific identifiable pattern, they may be asked to purchase an authorized copy and provide a receipt, original listing, license, or other reasonable confirmation of permitted use. The designer’s personal-use, commercial-use, modification, attribution, and reproduction terms remain in effect.

Each maker must obtain their own copy when required by the designer’s license. Permission to create one personal finished piece does not automatically permit commercial production, resale, redistribution, teaching from the pattern, or use by additional makers.

 

Pattern preparation and modification

When use of the underlying design is permitted, The Glass Patch may resize, mirror, simplify, divide, or adjust the pattern as needed for stained-glass construction. Modifying a protected design does not remove the original designer’s rights or override the applicable license.

 

Artist names, signatures, credits, and copyright notices will not be removed to conceal authorship.

 

Reference photographs and finished artwork

A photograph of another artist’s finished stained-glass piece may be used as inspiration, but it will not automatically be converted into a matching pattern. The Glass Patch may look for an authorized pattern, help the participant contact or credit the original artist, identify the general qualities the participant likes, develop a substantially new composition, suggest an alternative, or decline the project.

 

Personal photographs taken or owned by the participant may generally be used as design references. Professional portraits, commissioned photographs, downloaded images, and photographs created by someone else may require the photographer’s permission. Participants are responsible for confirming that they have the right to use submitted images and, when appropriate, the likeness of an identifiable person.

 

Characters, logos, trademarks, and AI-generated images

Copyrighted characters, sports-team marks, company logos, school or organization marks, and recognizable book, movie, television, or video-game imagery may require permission from the rights holder. The Glass Patch may request documentation, suggest an original alternative, or decline the project.

 

AI-generated images and patterns are reviewed under the same standards as other references. They may not be used to deliberately copy a recognizable artist’s work, copyrighted character, logo, or existing artwork. AI-generated references may also require substantial redesign before they are safe and practical to construct in stained glass.

 

Pattern files, photography, and future use

Participant-provided or licensed patterns will be retained only as needed to prepare and support the participant’s project. The Glass Patch will not reuse, sell, teach from, or distribute the pattern for unrelated customers unless the creator’s permission or license allows it.

 

Participant photography permission does not override the rights associated with an underlying pattern or design. Photographs of finished work may be used by The Glass Patch only when permitted by the participant’s waiver selection and any applicable pattern license. The original designer will be credited when reasonably identifiable and appropriate.

 

Right to review or decline

The participant is responsible for representing that they have the right to use the material they submit. The Glass Patch may request additional information, require the purchase of an authorized pattern, suggest changes, help develop an original alternative, or decline any project when ownership, permission, suitability, safety, complexity, or permitted use cannot be reasonably established.

 

Photography, Studio Animals & Accommodations

Photography and video permission are handled through each participant’s waiver selection. Declining permission does not affect a participant’s ability to take part.

 

The Glass Patch is a home studio, and dogs and cats live on the property. Please contact Liz before your visit if you need the animals to be kept away from the studio during your appointment.

 

If you need an accommodation or have a concern about the studio layout, tools, materials, or activity, please contact The Glass Patch before booking or visiting so the available options can be discussed.

 

Questions

Policies are intended to provide clear expectations while leaving room for reasonable, personal communication. If you are unsure how a policy applies to your reservation, project, or circumstances, please contact Liz before your visit.