My son gave me one of those LED battery-powered head-mounted lights to use for working on machines, and it does light things up pretty good. I think it’s the 5 LED Head Lamp from
Harbor Freight. I used it for sewing with my Singer 29K70 at the shop a time or two, and it worked pretty well, but tended to be a hassle since I had other lighting right there handy that I didn’t have to put on my head. I even hung it on the machine between uses, to try to get myself to put it on when setting down to the machine, but I soon hung it back by my repair bench where it had been.
I haven’t ever tried it at my home shop where I use my Singer 31-15 treadle. I may have to get another one for home. They’re cheap. They’re magnetic too, but I don’t recall ever trying to use it mounted on the machine. Maybe it was the head band being in the way. One problem I have with the head-mounted light working up close is bifocals. I was surprised at how many times I tilt my head up and down to change lenses. Strapping a light on my head showed me.
I’ve wondered about using a mirror, like a bicycle or motorcycle mirror mounted somewhere to reflect light from another source such as a flash light or lantern? It might even be helpful during daylight both indoors and out, except for having to be constantly adjusted to follow the sun. I know that when sewing outdoors in direct sunlight on large pieces of white billboard vinyl or white canvas, everything gets so bright that it actually can become difficult to see the needle area in the shadow of the machine head. During the hottest part of the summer, I spend as much of my outdoor sewing time in the shade of trees as I can. That can cause the natural lighting to change regularly.
I’m with Joe on the generator drag while sewing. I don't want to work any harder than I already am. I think a better solution would be to treadle a battery charger to recharge light batteries, and then use battery-powered lighting while sewing. Maybe rig up a battery charger similar to a bobbin winder, and run it without sewing? I like the sound of a solar solution, but getting the light concentrated at the needle area could still be the challenge.
CD in Oklahoma