Transfer Techniques and a Makeshift Light Box

29 responses to “Transfer Techniques and a Makeshift Light Box”

1. I use a lightbox made from an old kitchen drawer and a Frixion pen

   1. I have had Friction pens come back after storing the quilt.

      1. Frixion! I hate auto correct!

2. Window is my favorite and is also the cheapest ?

3. My makeshift lightbox is usually the flashlight from my camera put under an acrylic square ruler that is being held up by a couple of books. It actually works pretty well. I used to use my Ott Lite under the ruler but then had to haul out a stack of books to fit it under. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

   1. Brilliant!

4. Oops. I meant the flashlight from my iPhone, not camera.

5. I like to use a iron on transfer pencil. Trace on the back of the drawing, iron onto right side of fabric. Can get several prints sometimes

6. I put my ott lite in wooden clementine box and put a piece of plexiglass on top. It’s lap-size.

7. My solution uses my Ott light and plexi extension for my Bernina. See here: https://treadlemusic.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/light-table-monday/

8. My husband built me a nice box fitted with tempered glass and then we got a battery operated strip light that lies inside the box. On really dark fabrics I also use my daylight lamp.

9. These are ingenious, aren’t quilters difficult to stop from completing a project? i love it.
   My “light box” is an old table with a glass top found with a trash can on pick up day. It is in fairly good condition, (don’t know why it was discarded), but with a small lamp it works perfectly.

   1. I have a glass topped coffee table. I put a small lamp with a 40 watt bulb under it. The window method is, to me, awkward and tiring.

      1. I am going to be looking for a cheap glass top table now…lol! Great idea!

10. I was watching a video recently (I think on The Quilt Show) where the tip was given that if you have one of those clear sewing machine extension tables and a flashlight function on your cell phone, you can put the phone under the table and use that as a light box.

    I’ve also put a lamp under a glass-top side table that I have and used that for a light box when I need to transfer large designs. The window is definitely the go to for smaller designs.

11. In the past I’ve used a window or transfer pencil. I have one of those clear extension tables for my sewing machine & my cell phone has a flashlight that’s pretty bright. Thanks for that tip ladies! Never occurred to me, although I have seen the glass table idea before.

12. I use a beautiful ready made 24″ light table with a light strip underneath, I bought it years ago when I was doing Baltimore Album blocks. It is handy :0)
    I heard some talk about the Frixion pens not being good for fabric, I love using them and haven’t had any problems with them……..have any of you?
    Can’t wait for the pumpkin tutorial……Thanks so much Lori

13. I use the bottom of my project box with a LED hand-held flashlight under it. It works amazing and I don’t have to store anything extra. I also use my windows for very large tracings.

14. My acrylic sewing machine top it very handy for a light box and my cell phone flashlight. I use old slivers of soap for my marking pen many times. It comes out in the wash or spritz it with water and iron it. I always have little pieces soap left, I have them all over my sewing room handy to mark something. My frixion pens are all over my room too. One black the other white ready for any marking situation.

15. I use a double light bulb 40 watt bulbs from an old slide sorter tray, a box to put the light in and a piece of plexiglass and pen depending on the material

16. I’m responding to the comment about the Frixion pens. The last thing I read about this (just this week!) was about comprehensive testing done by a gal who wanted to see for herself what can happen with Frixion pens. She also enlisted the help of a Frixion representative. Bottom line: 1) the pens are not designed for fabric…2) they use 2 kinds of ink, one which becomes invisible and one that is gel ink, which will iron away due to the invisible stuff, but can reappear…3) the reappearing comes in cold conditions, the rep said 30 degrees or less. She has heard complaints of the ink reappearing in competition quilts. The gel ink can be removed with some serious ink stain remover. Bottom line for me is, I still use Frixion pens liberally. I do not make competition quilts, I don’t take them or send them anywhere NEAR that cold, and I don’t put my quilts in the freezer (haha). I have never had a problem in my 18 years of quilting.

    1. Do you remember where you read about that? I like how Frixion pens iron away, but am leary of leaving them in my quilts….was there information in that article about other markers?

       1. It was an artical in the Quilt show.com as i read it to.
          https://thequiltshow.com/daily-blog/142-newsletter/23839-the-frixion-pen-get-the-real-scoop?utm_source=Infusionsoft&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2015_09_28_Newsletter_7&inf_contact_key=7a6de0b289dbf00d830fb50013e9aa21b8c779491f70142b83e051ce6bd6b72a
          Carol

17. I use the acrylic extention table on my sewing machine with a small battery powered LED light under it.

    1. What about using your TV turned to a non-working channel?

18. I just have a question. Where I go to get the downloadable pattern? I use to use the window until I was able to buy a light box.

19. I have a light box AND a nice big window for nice big patterns!

20. I use my SewEasy extension table and a cheap press on light that folks buy for closets where there is no electrical source. Works great! Of course, the window has always been my “go to” if I am too lazy to set up the other! ?

21. I use the window method. My husband made a light box out of an old scanner. Works great but not easy to get out and I don’t have a place to keep it out