Little Lighting Suggestions
Today I got in the mail a walking foot for my vintage super high shank Kenmore - yay! It sits in a wonderful cabinet in a not-so-wonderful spot without a window or adequate light. The new attachment was an incentive to open up the cabinet and play around with this machine after many months of disuse. I just needed to see what I was doing.
I have a handy architect's or swing-arm lamp that I use with my main machine, but it is designed to clamp onto a table. You can also get some Ott lights and similar ones that have the clamp and post arrangement. There's no edge on this cabinet wide enough to attach a clamp, but there's a very simple solution, which I've used in another cabinet, also, and I just thought I'd pass it along in case it might work out for someone else with a similar lamp and cabinet situation. This cabinet has a formica and particle board top. I might hesitate to do this to a good wood cabinet, and wouldn't think of doing it to an antique.
The base of the lamp is a simple post that goes into a hole in a clamp. I've found over the years that the clamps are sometimes less than stable, and if you over-tighten them, they can cause damage. To avoid that and make the lamp easily removable I gritted my teeth and I drilled a hole through my cabinet. Measure the size of the post (or the hole in the clamp that came with it) and use a drill bit that is just right for your lamp. This is a part of the cabinet that is hidden from view when the top is folded shut, so I have no objection to having a hole there.
It is not the most ingenious thing you ever saw, but maybe it will motivate someone else to solve a common problem. You have to plan carefully where you're going to drill because the "elbow" on this type of lamp can stick out and hit the wall if it's too close. Also, of course, you'll want to check under the location and make sure you're not going to interfere with a hinge, drawer or wiring or whatever. To help ensure that your drill won't shred the area around the hole, it's a good idea to cover the spot with masking tape before you begin. Also, I started with a small bit to make a starter hole and then used a spade bit to drill this half inch hole. This was a 10-minute project, plus clean-up. It took me longer to type about it. Can't believe I neglected this nice old machine for so long because of the lack of lighting.
The other idea is somewhat sillier, but since it works, I thought I'd pass it along, too. My ironing board was also in a dimly lit spot. (I really don't know how this happens in a house that seems to have plenty of windows.) Anyway, one day I was trying to see some fabric that was tone on tone, and a little lightbulb came on in my head. I already had the Ott light in arm's reach, and the lovely garage-sale-find handcrafted wall pocket was already hung above the ironing board and was empty, for whatever reason. This is just a drop-in, temporary arrangement as needed, and makes a big difference. Since my wall pocket is probably unique, you may have to find some other sort of container to hold a lamp, but maybe this will inspire you. Just make sure you use something that wouldn't create a fire hazard or allow your lamp to go crashing down on you.