artty1

If you are able to use a drill & hammer/nails you could make a way more user friendly sized light table/box for a small amount of $. All that is needed is a square/rectangle box frame (wood or metal), some fluorescent light fixtures/bulbs in a size slightly smaller than your box, .5" square dowels, & either translucent white plexiglass or could be clear or even glass with vellum or freezer paper used to diffuse the light, hardware to mount the lights. You would mount the lights either 2 opposite sides from each other or one for each side, attach the dowels deep enough to allow your top to lay inside flush with the frame, drill holes for your fixture power cords to exit the side or the back, to improve the light distribution you could use some sheet metal as the bottom or even a sturdy piece of cardboard covered carefully with tin foil. Could also use tinfoil on the inside walls before mounting the lights. A great source of an almost complete box frame is to recycle a wooden pallet which you could easily obtain for free from a local business that is just going to throw it out. If you go that route try to look for a good sturdy well made pallet as the quality of the wood can vary greatly as well as the general quality of construction. This is really an easy DIY job that doesn't involve tons of complicated construction or $$$ materials. Plus you can customize it to the size that will fit your specific needs and space as the light fixtures pre-wired come in lots of sizes either to plugin or you could go battery powered if only for short use time now and then.

I have a Pfaff 2054 which does a fantastic job on nearly anything i throw at it. I have had it for several years & it has seen a lot of miles but works just as good as when it was new. I also have a 2 vintage Necchi machines, a BU Nova & a Supernova which I love. I use them mostly for heavier duty jobs like really thick fabrics/upholstery/ & medium weight leather & the stitch quality is impeccable in fact the BU Nova produces an even better straight stitch in any length than my Pfaff does on any weight fabric i have run through it, I use it a lot for standout topstitching when I know its really going to show. I would also like to add a vintage Pfaff 130 to my collection, zeusmachines.com refurbishes these to almost new condition or better, they are great to sew on & simply a mechanical work of art/design as well, much like the Necchi machines.

ManhattanFabrics.com is a great source for designer apparel fabrics, they are in NYC in the fashion district & have a long list of well known high end designer goods at great $$$, sometimes they only get a small amount of certain ones but I haven't yet had an issue w/ them not having enough to fill an order. For home decor/upholstery I always check out ebay first as you can often get multiple yardage even for larger projects at incredible discounts, I look for power sellers w/ proven ratings who don't skimp on pics or details & should I have a ? are prompt w/ a reply back. Some will even send samples free or for a small fee. One of my favorite sellers is PieceandJoy they always have great deals on superior quality often to the trade only fabrics usually multiple yd auctions & can accommodate in most cases should you need more or even less of fabric.