Inspiring Quilters, Stitch by Stitch
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I agree with you Nancy...my Playroom is a very soft beige...I have flourescent light at my cutting table, 1 window and I use an Ott light at my machine and where I hand sew...I can see black on black with this lighting!!! It's awesome...I do have a ceiling light I use at night but wish it was an Ott light too....
Marcia
My father gave me a drafting table light years ago. It contains a pair of bulbs (incandescent and florescent). The combination is considered to be 'color-correcting'. Maybe an art supply store could provide an alternative to the speciality lamps at Jo-ann's/other craft store. My sewing space is in the basement.
Don't forget the benefits of "task lighting." Individual lights for specific areas. I have some great little lamps I bought at IKEA for $9.99 (JANSA I think) that come with a weighted base (the clip on variety of the same lamp are like thirty bucks). These little wonders are LED bulbs, and very very bright. I have one that sits on top of my Bernina, shining down directly in front of the needle. Bernina's lights are great, but this adds a lot for my old eyes. I have others in spaces that need a little help--like right over my cutting table. Look at lighting at places like IKEA once you have your room situated and you know just where more light is needed. It's a great place to problem solve. You might want a bar of LEDs you can aim at a design wall (like track lighting only easier to hook up)--they got em. Or a floor lamp with flexible arms you can point at surfaces that need more light--they got that too.
If you are planning to use a flat wall as a backdrop to photograph your quilts, you might want large sheets of felt or some other low-sheen solid fabric in a light gray--especially if your walls are painted white--because white or black backgrounds can really mess up a camera's automatic exposure settings and make it difficult to get accurate color in your photos.
One more thing. I really like using the "Reveal" light bulbs (I buy them at WalMart because they're cheapest there) in my overhead lighting (a ceiling fan, by the way). They truly do make a difference in how the colors in my fabric look.
I tried a bright white and then a bright yellow and then i gave up and used a soft cream color and my fabrics held there color better.
What are "Reveal" lights? Energy savers? LEDs?
Thanks-
ellen
"Reveal" lights are just full spectrum lightbulbs. They are not energy savers at all, but give a truer color. I buy them at Walmart. The bulbs come in all sizes for lamps you already have--I use flame shaped ones in the ceiling fan in my sewing area. They are clear--not frosted--and a light purple glass.
LED's are "light emitting diode" bulbs. You might be familiar with them as tiny bulbs on electronics or keychains that help you find locks in the dark, etc. But they burn really bright while using very little energy. They are making bulbs now that group them together to create room lighting. They last 10x as long as incandescents, and use very little electricity. But they can be expensive (like $30 for a bulb).
The adjustable neck light I bought at IKEA has a tiny shaded LED. The shade itself is maybe 1 1/2 inches across. The bulb is about the size of a mustard seed, but the light is bright enough that I use it when handquilting, and I have another identical lamp over my kitchen sink to light it while I wash dishes. BRIGHT!
Thank you! Kevin!
I have to decide on lighting- floor lamps? Table tops? wall? dunno- I have 3 areas to light: the sewing table, work table, cutting table/ironing area! They don't all necessarily need the same brightness. I may start with putting brighter bulbs in the overhead and seeing the difference from there..I really have little "table top" room, as I have designed that all the tables be moved as needed- so lamps with cord will be a problem. I'll checkout Walmart for the Reveals, as well as the 50% sales at Joanne's for OTTs. I love IKEA- it's good to have options.
ellen
ellen
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