Since I started the Splendid Sampler quilt and the Anderson’s Farm quilt I’ve been on the lookout for a lightbox to trace the embroidery patterns, taping it to the window is not that practical! The ones I’ve seen are pretty expensive or have really bad reviews.

One day I was googling how to make a lightbox when I saw one that gave me an idea. A mother was using a tuperware box with Christmas lights in it as a light box for her children. I thought that if I could find a wooden box or drawer, attach some perspex to the top, pop in some christmas lights, hey presto I have a light box! I even found a source for the perspex!

On my recent trip to Ikea for my sewing room we were perusing the picture frame department for Helen when I spotted the perfect thing for my light-box. It’s called a display box, it’s actually like a box picture frame with a hinged lid, it cost me £12. I took it home, lined the inside with some kitchen foil and raided the Christmas decoration box for some battery powered lights. I popped them inside and I’ve now got a light-box!

I’m going to keep my eye open next Christmas for a 100 light length, I’ve only got 40 at the moment and I think it would be better with a few more, but I’ve already used it for the Splendid Sampler…

Last Sundays block was an embroidered one by Jane Davidson of Quilt Jane, she’s one of the organisers of the whole project. It’s a cute design of a tape measure with the wise words of ‘Measure twice, cut once’. The actual block was fairly simple so I quickly made it up so I could embroider it on Monday at Skipton Embroiderers Guild which I’ve just started going to, it’s a lovely way to spend a Monday each month, we embroider in the morning and have a speaker in the afternoon. I traced the design using my new light-box! I used a grey variegated thread for the tape measure with the numbers in blue. I initially planned to stitch the letters in grey but I found with the grey in the pattern it sort of disappeared. The ecru I used isn’t perfect but it will suffice.

I also managed to make the Family Stars block from the week before, the one with 57 pieces in a 6 1/2″ block!! I was really pleased how this one came out, I had to really concentrate to get the colours in the right place, my trusty seam ripper got used a couple of times. My points have all come out ok and there’s only one intersection that’s noticeably out, which considering the complexity of the block, I’m happy with!! I was originally planning to use the floral fabric for the centre star but it actually made it too busy and the design was lost a bit, I tried it with the plain background and it instantly lifted it.

I’ve got three blocks waiting to be made, two simple ones (famous last words!) and an embroidered one…then I’ve just got the monthly block to do for April and a bit of catching up on my Anderson Farm quilt…as well as three more entries for our local show in mid May and two quilts to make too. Looks like I’m going to be busy!