missgigglewings

Can someone on the QB please tell me how you would use a lightbox in quilting?

Boston1954

I think someone had said it helps for tracing shapes for applique. I've also heard that a crafty person can rig up their own instead of buying one.

QuiltE

Indeed!

Mine is very simple ....
an old drawer (you could use any drawer in your home)
with some LED flashlights inside (I'm ready in case of a power outage!)
and a piece of 1/4" plexi straddled across the top

Quite Budget Friendly!

RJLinkletter

Mine is even easier... I use my patio doors and masking tape. It only works in daylight but is very cheap!

dunster

I use one for tracing applique or embroidery shapes onto fabric. You could also use one for tracing quilting designs onto your quilt top. I had a make-shift light box (a piece of plexiglass laid on top of two plastic shoeboxes with a folding Ott light underneath) but I recently bought a CutterPillar, which comes with a self-healing cutting mat. I love that it's completely portable, can be used without being plugged in, and the light is evenly distributed. I got a good deal on it on the last day of the Houston show. I also got the glass overlay. https://www.cutterpillar.com/glow-premium

toverly

You use it for anything you trace. Mostly applique or embroidery designs. I put a tap light into a clear plastic scrapbook paper box. It's about 14 x 14 x 3 and flat enough to draw on the top.

Sleepy Hollow

It's helpful for applique, especially tracing. I've also used it to help line up fabric for paper piecing (though now that I'm better at that, and using a different technique, I don't need it like I used to).

My sister-in-law is a veterinarian, and she loaned me a portable x-ray film light (it's about the size of a clipboard and just a little thicker). It's awesome! They don't use them anymore (it's all digital now), so she took them home. I'm not sure if I have to give it back or not...

I did find some inexpensive ones on amazon though, around $20 give or take. I know there is a Crayola brand one (for kids and tracing) as well as some other brands, and they work well too.

Jennifer23

I have the same CutterPillar as dunster. I love it for paper piecing, especially scrappy. It allows me to see through the paper and make sure I have an area completely covered, and then cut the fabric to size without moving anything.

It's also great for tracing embroidery and applique patterns.

hybearn8er

I bought an LED one from Amazon for less than 40 dollars and use it for embroidery and card making and applique. I was so impressed with mine that I bought my daughter one also and she loves hers too . Anna

Peckish

When I first started quilting, I used to open my dining room table, as if I was going to put the leaf in, and put a lamp underneath with a piece of glass on top. I liked this setup because I can sit as I work, as opposed to standing in front of a window or door.

However, I now have a really cool quilting table that has a light built into it.