I also use a normal pencil for tracing. It doesn't fade and even after some time I still can see the lines. I do take a very thin pencil. You have now those pink pencils of that special TM, but I can't recall the name of the brand. You have loads of quilting supplies of them. They also have those normal thin pencils. I normally don't baste two layers of fabric ofr muslin together. here in Holland that is expensive too, so I use some iron on stabilizer and that works well for me. I choose the more expensive type as that one is a lot softer and for embroidering it is easier to slide your needle through the fabric.

I use my kitchen table. Open it up, like for when you add the extension piece, and I have an old bus window that I lay over the gap and put a lamp underneath and go at it. I was fortunate at the bus garage that they wanted to get rid of 18 windows. All I wanted was 1 but got stuck with them all.

You can also tape it to a window or a patio door.

Use the light table - but, use watercolor pencil. It's designed to be water soluble. As long as you don't get it wet it will stay on the fabric.

I use a mechanical pencil to get a very fine line. Have had no problems. I too am curious about the 2 layers of fabric--Is it because you don't want knots, etc. to show through? :)

If you have a glass coffee table (or any kind of table), just put a lamp underneath and save yourself from having to get a light box.

Spray bast your paper with the pattern and stick it to the fabric before placing it on your light source. I have real problems with patterns shifting around if I don't.

I use Freezer paper cut to needed size, and iron muslin to it. Insert into copier the pattern that you want to copy, make certain that muslin/freezer paper is inserted with muslin side down in the paper feed, hit copy, and walla- ready to stitch after removing freezer paper. Works great for me. Good luck-

i've done one red work quilt with single layer muslin - no show thru because i never knot the back of my embroudry. i weave my thread back thru some of the stitches i've just finished. and i never travel from one part of the design unless i can travel thru stitches

Me too. Years ago I belonged to EGA when life was simpler and they taught us how to embroidery without knots or traveling. Once you learn it is really nice. You put a knot on your thread and enter from the front , and put this knot several inches away from where you plan to embroidery. You now have a knot on the top and the thread is on the bottom. You do your embroidery and then go back and clip your knot that is several inches away on the frontside pull the thread through to the backside and weave in.