Light box
 

I'm going to do an embroidery quilt which I saw and fell in love with, but I will need to buy a light box to trace the pattern. I think this will be a good investment for me because I'd like to do other similar projects with embroidery.

But where to I start? Can anyone point me in the right direction. I checked out Jo-Ann's web site and they have a few light boxes. Are they all created equal? What should I be looking for? I haven't a clue how to go about it. I don't even know what features to look for because I don't know what features they have.

Here's a link to the quilt I want to make if you'd like to see it.

http://www.primitivequiltcellar.com/...y_Pattern.html

I'm the queen of being a cheap skate. I "made" mine by using a pyrex lasagna dish out of my cupboard and a dollar store flashlight. Set the flashlight on your table, and set the lagagna pan upside down over it. Set your design, then your fabric on top and trace away (you can pin both together to prevent shifting).

I got the crayola one. It was talked about here a while back.

I bought a piece of plexiglass, larger than most light boxes that I could find. I put two plastic shoe boxes on the table, place my plexiglass on top and my little Ott light underneath. I do have to move the Ott light around a bit if I'm tracing something large, but that's easy to do, and the whole thing collapses down and takes up very little space when I'm done with it. I previously tried taping the pattern and fabric to my sliding glass door, but that didn't work very well for me. For one thing, I lived in Oregon so had to wait for there to be enough light outside, and for another I found it very uncomfortable tracing at different heights against a vertical surface. But that does work for some people.

You probably want to determine what size box will work for what you are going to use it for. Too small means you have to keep re-positioning your work and too large means you have to be able to store it somewhere. There is an Artograph light box on Amazon in case you want to look at them for price comparison. Oh it looks like it is the same price as JoAnns. And Walmart's price seems to be the same also. The one I use is an old lighted metal box that was used for some kind of advertising. Someone asked my dh if he wanted it and he said yes. Lucky there. You might be able to make one out of a plastic box assuming you could drill a hole in the side to put a light in. It would have to be a cool light so as not to melt the plastic box. Hope you find what you need.

I bought a light board for tracing my applique designs onto my fabric and I just love it. Mine is called a Litup Light Box and I bought it on Amazon. I got the one that's 11.81" wide and 15.63" long (they come in different sizes). It's very thin and lightweight, but works beautifully. It's a bit expensive but I figured I'd be using it for a long time so felt it was worth it and it is.[h=1][/h]

I bought one years ago online...I'm in nz so not much use there....but I use it a lot. It may seem like an expense, but I'm sure you'll get heaps of use from one. Make sure you get a good size one as it is frustrating to move your work. (It is so much easier than taping to a window, which is what I used to do)

I have the small Crayola one and it's is fine for small designs and very portable. If I did a lot of tracing I would definitely get the Litup one like Silvertabby, it's the best. It comes in different sizes. I do believe you will love it.

Sounds ingenious like the Pyrex pan idea!!

I have never had a use for a light box but I did hear of an ingenious homemade one. IF you have a table that splits (for table leaves), open it, put a piece of plexiglass over the opening, and a table lamp on the floor underneath. When you're done, the only thing you need to find a place for is the flat piece of plexiglass.