I am finishing the last block on a redwork quilt, the instructions were to use double thickness muslin or what you want to trace on. Baste the two thicknesses together. Put the pattern down on a counter or table top (I taped in down). Put the basted fabric on top of that and trace with a fine tip ink fabric pen. I used black ink to trace and two strands of thread to outline. The pattern I traced from was very dark lines so I didn't need a light box. The lines I traced were thin so that the 2 strands of floss covered them up. It worked great. Of course, if you are going to use a dark fabric to trace on, this isn't going to work. Hope this makes sense.

PiecesinMN - what was the purpose of using the two pieces of muslin? For greater stability?

Did embroidering through 2 layers of fabric make it more difficult to embroider?

Did you like using the double layers, or was it more of a hassle?

Sorry so many questions, but I just never heard of that before!

I don't have a light box, but I do have a glass topped table in my living room. I can put some kind of light under the table and that should work great!

I would like to know, too.

I saw this little trick on a quilting show. Turn a clear plastic sweater box over with the bottom up. Then use a light underneath it to illuminate it. I saw those little round push top dome lights at the dollar store. They would work great. I have a light box and I use it for my redwork and other embroidery projects. I also use two layers of muslin or other fabric for the embroidery also. I use a fine point Mark B Gone pen to draw the design. It washes out easily.
Peace and Blessings

I was lucky enough to find a light box on a garage sale but up until then I used a transluscent storage tube, a window or sometimes even my computer screen. You can also use a tv screen. Just go to a channel that's all snow and mute the tv. The only thing you have to do then is remember to use removable tape.

I'm not Pieces, but I would think the reason to use two layers is so that the embroidery therad on the wrong side doesn't "shadow" through to the right side later on. Muslin can be fairly sheer, and you might not notice the shadowing effect until you make the quilt sandwich, at which point it would be too late.

I've taken a couple of classes on redwork. One instructor had us use a very thin permanent marker (RED) (available at quilt shops or JoAnn's in my area) to trace the patterns. The two pieces of fabric really do help avoid the shadows.
Also, if you ever get a chance, try the Premium Sulky 300 mm, 100 percent cotton thread. It comes on a big spool, is machine washable or dry cleanable and comes in a beautiful dark red. It is a bit pricier than than DMC or whatever, but a spool goes a long way. I get it at one of our local quilt shops I have always hated separating out the different strands of embroidery thread. Silly, I know.

Sorry it took so long to respond. No access to computer. The purpose of two layers is exactly what someone answered, your knots and stitches don't shadow through. It's not more difficult to embroider but you do need to baste the two pieces together before you trace your pattern. I didn't think it would really be all that great, but it really worked for me. Using a thin point fabric pen (which I think in permanent and stitching over it is much better than using those blue wash out pens. I have had a bad experience with them and don't care to use them. Give it a try, hope you like it to.

I think the blue wash out pen is by Clover. The other brand I have used is Collins. Haven't had any trouble getting either of them out after doing redwork. I use the Sulky thread instead of floss too.