My hubby suggested I ask the QB people for opinions on the subject of lighting in my work area. Right now I have an ugly overhead light bulb thingy with 2 bedroom lamps around the room. He has offered to put up track lighting of some kind. He likes florescent, I don't. I like halogen but he says it is expensive to use. Any opinions out there?

I am eager to hear the responses to this too. My husband has suggested a 'shop light' with florescent tubes. Right now I have a lamp and an Ott light.
Thanks snicker dee for starting this!

love my florescent halogen gets to hot

the little halogen replacement bulbs for the fixture we have in our bathroom and in our kitchen under cabinet lights are quite pricey, they dont last as long as they would like you to believe....and yes they get very hot....

I have not tried the Ott lights but would like to know what others think of them. I have an overhead ceiling fan with 4 lights and two floor lamps with positionable lights that I can move around to hit different areas in my sewing area.

My husband suggested the same thing for over my large cutting area...a shop light I mean. The problem with lamps is that they have to be moved to the right place, etc. depending on where I am cutting, etc. I really do need something that hangs from the ceiling and covers a large area.

Florescent light gives a brighter light and showes the true color of fabric. You can now get florescent light fixtures that are not garage style lights. I have one in my sewing room. Works great.

I have the little halogen lights and they do get hot. I keep a small fan under my sewing table to cool me off when needed.
I had a different track system in my old sewing room that used regular light bulbs. I like that with track lighting I can aim the light where I need it most.
I also have an Ott light that I use when hand piecing or when doing hand quilting and I love it. My only problem is that I bought it quite a few years ago and I can only get replacement bulbs online and they aren't cheap, but they do tend to last a long time.

My husband put in track lighting for me and I really like it. I can have light where I need it.

I've tried track lighting and it didn't work for me, since I was looking for good overall lighting for the room. Instead, took the 6-bulb fixture out of the dining room and hung it in my sewing room - the six bulbs provide a lot of general lighting for the room, and I use an extra lamp when needed for specific tasks.

I have a large florescent light over my work table and a halogen track system over the sewing machines. I was going to have my husband put in another halogen track system over the LAM but they do get too hot and are difficult and costly to replace. In the meantime, I have a cheap clamp on mechanic's light to put on the machine and it's working fine but looks bad, so I need to find a different track system.

I found replacement bulbs at Home Depot. Also check Lowe's

NO on track lighting and Halogen..
YES to overhead and/or flueroscent!

If you have OLDER Ott lites, stock up on bulbs NOW...the new OTT lites are all going to be LED bulbs...sigh...that means they will stop making the original OTT lite bulbs!

My sewing room is about 12' x12'. I have a ceiling light/fan with 5 bulbs. The lighting is great. It takes CFL lights. They are 60 watts of light and use only 13 watts. They don't create a lot of heat. We got fixture and lights at Lowes. The bulbs do have mercury but Lowes takes used bulbs and disposes of them properly. Our landfill also has a proper disposal facility.
I have an Ott light that i use at night when working with black. (hard for me to see) It is only a small lamp but placed in the right place really improves my ability to see to sew on black fabric. I really like it.
Track lighting doesn't appeal to me. I think it puts other parts of the room in to much shadow. I like lots of light everywhere.

I had that same Problem. Either too hot or not good lighting... I live in SE.GA. At Lowes in Valdosta they have the Ott light floor model. My husband advice was your work is only as good as you can see. If the colors are not true with the other lights and they are hot or not good for see color it is worth the extra money. I didn't argue with him :lol: I have had it now for almost a yr. So Glad He got it for me.. I used to quit sewing when the it started getting dark cause the light was so bad and I couldn't see the darker or how true the colors were. Some people complained it fell over, I have not had that problem can turn it 360 without moving it. LOVE IT!!!! it cost abt. $80.00
BillsBonBon

I have an Ott floor lamp & a small portable one. Love them both. It would be nice to have more. The bulbs have lasted me 3 or 4 years now.

I would go to a lighting store and check out their range. LED is a bit more expensive than the others at start up, but does not have the overheating problems and they are supposed to last a lot longer. LED is also more energy efficient, so savings on your utility bill.

I too have a ceiling fan with lights. The lights are the newer CFL and are really bright. Add to this, if needed, my floor ott type light and the sewing machine light and I am good.

The floor ott type lamp was from amazon.com and was a great buy.

Floursecent lights drive my eyes buggy! I hated working under them and refuse to sew under them in my home.

ali

i have shop light fluorescent lites in the basement and they are wonderful clear bright light. I do have a wanna be ott light i bought at odd lots for my quilt frame and it is nice. I'm glad i didn't spend the $200 for the ott lite though - $30 is better. I may go back and get a 2nd one.

On my sewing table i have a lamp w/ a GE Reveal bulb - my absolute favorite bulbs.

I had an over head florescent light on the ceiling, two floor lamps with reveal light bulbs, a bendable floor lamp on my counter top shining a reveal light bulb down on my cutting board, a florescent desk lamp to shine on the other side of my cutting table.. Ugh it was horrible.. SO this is what hubby got me instead.. I put in the reveal lights and WOW!! What a difference!!!

I have a light- adjusted and pointed to the spots I need/wanted light!!!! Yay!!!!!

iwould giv e my eye teeth for floresent. you can get some nice looking ones at home d or lowes. halogen bulbs are really expensive and get very, very hot.

I've just realized that I have florescent in the master bathroom, the small dining room (banded by dark wood) and in the middle office. The front bedroom has a big modern twisted bulb that surprised me with the amount of light it produces. I can see quite well when sewing, on the computer or reading. The "daylight" ones are nice and make the colors real instead of dull and drab. Shows up white balls of cat hair too, way too easily.

I have a cheapo standing light with a flexible neck and put a $10 Ott bulb in it. Perfect! Overhead florescents cause too much glare on the rulers when cutting, even tho I have sprayed them with Satin Finish Varathane. Got another bulb for my reading lamp,

I have a couple of Daylight floor lamps, with 18w tubes. The arm is totally flexible and the head swivels 180 degrees, so you can light exactly where you want. I find them so good - the Daylight tubes do not get hot, no headaches or eyestrain.

i have 3 double fluerescent (sp) hanging lamps in my 13 x 13 room as a compromise for not having a better room. in the other room i have another one over the quilter and a small desktop ottlamp for close work. the compromise is that i don't have that big space all to myself. i think i should. i think i should have them both. LOL!! and another computer. and new shelves. and a new color paint. and .......... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :lol:

What are "reveal" lights ??

Well my hubby still says hanging florescent shop light for my area would be best...hmmm??? I'm turning the basement into my quilting room and the area is about 17 by 20 with just the one ceiling fan light in the middle. My cutting table is over in one corner and positioned so that I am facing away from the light kinda of blocking the light from the table. His idea is to have a shop like in the corner hanging directly over the cutting table but then one person said that it causes a glare on the rulers?? Gosh...I'm getting more confused :(

The flourescents are great in my sewing room, we put the daylight bulbs(tubes) in it. They are alittle more expensive to buy, not more expensive to run, and give lots of natural lighting. The bulbs last about 1-1/2 years, so really economic. I have two, one over my cutting area, and the second over the sewing area.

I have ceiling can lights, but that's not enough light to sew. So, I bought two of the little folding lights from Hancock's. They're like the Ott lights, just not the brand name. Then I bought a bendable bright light which attaches to your sewing machine. You can direct the light to the sewing area. It's a LED light bulb that is guaranteed to last for thousands of hours. Oh my, how I love it! I bought it from Quilting Warehouse.com for $27.95, the best price I could find. Some places ask as much as $49, but that's absurd. I can't hardly sew without it now. You can buy an extra bracket to put on other sewing machines so it can be moved from machine to machine.

one thing about halogen lights...THEY GET HOT!HOT!HOT!
OTT lights are very good (expensive but if you were going to go expensive...worth the cost!)
the ott light is a (day-light) light, shows true color and gives you the much needed zap of vitamin d
and do not get anywhere near as hot as halogens.
i need better lighting in my sewing room too...one of these days. right now i have the overhead and a couple task lights. i hope you show us pictures of your new lighting system when it is done...my hubby is not a 'handy-guy' for doing stuff like that. :thumbup:

I have an Ott light, but it doesn't give out enough light for me to see where I am working not to mention the fact that the light on the sewing machine isn't worth the powder to blow it to kingdom come. So I have a goose neck and another "hurricane" lamp that is on my workspace. I don't like the Ott light that much. And I know it isn't my eyes, because the cataract surgery in both eyes gave me 20/20 vision! Edie

I use goose-necked desk lamps. They are very light (and re-adjust or move whenever I want and are florescent. And they were verrrry cheap.

Off topic slightly...have you noticed that the light on the newer sewing machines stinks? The bed is barely lit! I need a small lamp next to my new Brother machine. How foolish is THAT!?

Singer - same thing! It is the teeniest thing I have ever seen and I can't even thread the needle with it. I need a miner's hat! Edie

I had shop lights in my old work area and I began to notice damage to one of my hanging prints. It was a signed one that my employer had given me and couldn't be replaced. Be careful about the bulbs you use if they are going to be on several hours a day. It can be like sunlight fading.

I have florescent fixtures for day light bulbs. Great lighting. These are hung over work areas. Cutting table, Table with machine etc. The daylight bulbs are more expensive but in 7 years I have only replaced 3 of the 12 in the room. Make sure fixture will take daylight bulbs.

I had a totally inadequate ceiling fixture in my tiny sewing room. My new hubby and I hit HD and came home with a flouresant fixture with "kitchen/bath" bulbs. It was easy to install and my eyes are so happy with the light.

I have my sewing studio in the basement. When I had it built I had pot lights installed and use the Reveal bulbs. They give a natural light out. It lets you see the "True" color in your fabric. Here is a pic of part of my room; you'll see there is lots of light and no shadows cast. Hope this is the right pic. Sorry, wrong pic. I'll try to find it.

I have regular overhead ceiling lights and an Ott lamp, which I keep next to my sewing machine. I love my Ott light and would like to have at least one more.

Okay, trying again with right pic.