Idea: Redneck Light Box

Here is a terrific idea for a light box.

To remove the sewing machine from table - put light below that and piece of plastic over the hole.

Janet described more here:
http://threadedmoose.blogspot.com/2013/03/redneck-light-box.html

My sewing machine table has a solid bottom so her system would not work for me, but I looked around and found a plastic frame that I had gotten like 20-years ago and never used that would fit on top of the the Elfa white wire shelves.  I found a clip-on lamp not being used in DS's bedroom. It all came together quite easily actually.

I did find that I needed to double trace Leah's designs that were for the colored fabric to see the design - but that hasn't been has yucky to do as I thought it might be (at least so far).

Shows the top with the grey areas of the design traced with
a thicker felt pen, taped down ready to tape the fabric on the top.
I watched a video with directions for making a much more
fancy but complicated light box
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCRzCrsnLnw
that suggested putting tissue paper to diffuse the light
(I guess) so I taped that underneath the plastic frame.
I may decide to take that off later.

Shows the lamp clipped on the side, the space where
drawers were, and the side of the plastic frame.

First four block for Leah Day's Building Blocks Quilt Along

So the Building Blocks quilt is coming along nicely now.  This marking business took a lot of planning.  This system would not help people using black or dark fabric, as I can barely see thru the light lilac fabric that I'm using - but that is all I needed for now.

I'm using a regular mechanical pencil to do the marking.  I tested by making marked on uncut fabric and then washing it to be sure the pencil would wash out.

This is a new experience marking the quilt designs!  I'm even following Leah's suggestions and finger pressing then pressing the seams open.  I'm glad I got white batting to hide the doubled white pieces of fabric.