Try This for Easier Applique, Paper Piecing, and More
This May be Your Favorite New Quilting Tool!
Have you ever found yourself holding a paper template up to a window and tracing it onto fusible web, freezer paper, or fabric? While it works (during the day, anyway), your arms are likely to become tired after a few minutes.
A light table, light box, or light pad can relieve the strain on your arms and turn a tracing chore into a more manageable process. Once you have one, whether it’s a DIY light box or a purchased light pad, you may use it way more often than you expected.
Learn more about using a light pad for applique here.
Learn how to use a light pad for paper piecing here.
Learn more about creating templates with a light pad here.
What is a Light Pad?
First, what is a light table, light box, or light pad? They’re all relatively simple devices consisting of a bright light under a clear or translucent surface (like the sun shining through a window). Lay the pattern on the surface and on top of that lay whatever you want to trace the pattern on. The light shines through both layers, allowing you to see and trace the pattern.
Photo from “Top Tips for Transferring a Design onto Fabric” from Tigley.
While you can spend a good amount of money on a light table or light box, today’s compact light pads are inexpensive and easy to use and store. Be sure to check sizes carefully when selecting a light pad so that the one you choose will work nicely with your typical projects.
We like the light pad available here as you can adjust the light levels. It also comes in several sizes. You’ll find several others to choose from here.
A translucent cutting mat that lays on top of the light pad will give you even more options and is especially helpful for paper piecing. This one comes in several sizes.
You can also make your own light box from items found around the house. The following example is simply a plastic storage container turned upside down over a fluorescent light strip. Just make sure that the light source you choose won’t create a lot of heat inside whatever you use for the box. You’ll find the instructions for this light box at Autodesk Instructables and a lot of other DIY light box ideas here and here.
Photo from DIY light box instructions found at Autodesk Instructables.
Rona from Rona the Ribbiter provides several ideas for using a light box or light pad for quilting. The most common uses are for:
- preparing shapes for fusible applique
- paper piecing
- creating quilting templates
She provides a nice overview of using a light pad for quilting in the following article.
Using a Light Pad for Applique
Not only can you trace shapes for applique you can also fuse together complex applique designs by arranging them on a light pad. Wendi Gratz shows you how to do that in the following video.
Click here to watch the video at YouTube if it doesn’t play on your device.
Wendi uses this light pad and the pressing sheet found here.
Use a Light Pad for Paper Piecing
Paper piecing can also benefit from a light pad. Have you ever struggled with getting the fabric pieces to cover their designated areas completely?
That whole sewing-on-the-reverse thing can confuse how to cut the fabric to fit the space but it’s so much easier when you can see what you’re doing. Learn more about paper piecing here and here.
Alice Hadley has written a great article for Gathered that walks you through the paper-piecing process using a light box. Plus, using her method means there’s no paper to pull out of the seams at the end.
Create Templates with a Light Pad
A light pad can also be used to trace quilting shapes onto templates for transferring to fabric.
For example, Chris Lynn Kirsch used a light pad to trace a butterfly motif from fabric onto freezer paper. She then used the freezer paper template to mark her fabric for free-motion quilting (shown in the piece above). Any design can be easily traced for quilting templates, whether it’s from fabric or a printed source (such as a design found on Google and printed from your computer).
Once you start working with a light pad you’re likely to find many other ways it can help ease the quilt-making process. These ideas are just to get you started but keep in mind that it should be helpful whenever you want to trace something.
We like the light pad available here as you can adjust the light levels. It also comes in several sizes. You’ll find several others to choose from here.
A translucent cutting mat that lays on top of the light pad will give you even more options and is especially helpful for paper piecing. This one comes in several sizes.
