How a glass commission works
Measure the opening, brief the piece, approve the design before any glass is cut, and keep your money protected until it's in place.
From sketch to finished glass
- Brief the pieceWhat it is, the exact size or the opening it fills, colours and style, photos of the room or window, any sketch, whether it needs installing or framing, your deadline, your address and a budget range.
- Compare glass artistsMakers reply with a price and a timeline. Look through their past work and reviews, and ask about the glass they'd use, lead or copper foil, and how it will be fitted.
- Accept a bid and payCard payment goes through Stripe. The Spool List holds it, and the maker isn't paid until you've confirmed delivery.
- Approve, receive and confirmApprove the full-size drawing (the cartoon) and glass colours, then follow progress photos in the app: cut glass, leading or foiling, soldering, cementing. Once the piece arrives and you confirm delivery, the maker receives the payment.
Light, coloured exactly the way you want it.
Your opening, your colours, your design. Post one brief, compare bids from verified glass artists, and keep your payment protected until the piece is in place.
Post your glass piece →What custom stained glass costs
Figures from HomeAdvisor's stained glass window and stained glass repair cost guides (updated June 2026). US figures; your bids will vary.
Why commission glass here instead of in a DM
Paid when the piece arrives
You pay when you accept a bid. The platform holds that money and releases it to the maker once you confirm the piece reached you.
Glass artists bid on your piece
One brief reaches every verified maker with the right skills: stained glass, fusing, blowing or etching. Compare price, timeline, reviews and past work side by side.
The bid is what you pay
Buyers pay the maker's quoted price. The Spool List adds no buyer fee on top.
Reviews from finished commissions
A maker's reviews are tied to completed orders, so every rating comes from someone who actually commissioned them.
Size and design in writing
Measurements, colours, glass type and fitting are agreed in the job before any glass is cut.
A dispute path, not an unanswered inbox
If a piece stalls or doesn't match the agreed scope, raise a dispute from the app. The Spool List reviews any that the two of you can't settle.
Every commission on The Spool List is a job with a written scope, so '24 × 36 in leaded panel for the front-door sidelight, clear textured background, blue iris, protective glazing' means the same thing to both of you before money moves.
Glass is measured and cut to a full-size pattern, so the measurements are the most important part of the brief. For windows and doors, many makers measure the opening themselves or send you a template guide. Approving the cartoon and the glass samples is the cheapest point to change anything.
If a piece stalls or arrives different from the agreed scope, the dispute process looks at the brief, the progress photos and your messages. That's the part a text thread can't give you.