Patchwork Times by Judy Laquidara logo

Ecolux Light for Machines

In my new sewing studio, I love everything but I’m not 100% in love with my lighting.  I had asked for florescent tube lighting but Vince and the builder overruled that request and installed the canister lights.  There are 17 of them in the sewing room but they just didn’t provide enough lighting.  We switched out the regular lights to LED bulbs around the sewing area/cutting table and that helped a little . . probably not enough for the initial cost of those bulbs.

I rarely come back over and sew at night because the lighting just isn’t sufficient.  I have an Ott light and a little desk light that I can point to where I need light but sewing at night isn’t pleasant due to the lighting.

When I heard about the Ecolux Lighting system, I hoped that would solve my problem and I’m happy to say that so far, I’m thrilled with the light it provides.

This is my machine with the regular sewing machine light on.  Apparently this model (a 1992 Bernina 1230) has two bulbs but my switch is going out (not the first time) and sometimes only one bulb will come on which makes the lighting situation even more dire.  With the camera flash and it being daylight when the photos are taken, you aren’t seeing how bad it truly is but with old eyes and poor lighting, that makes for some not so great sewing conditions.

Notice there’s a sticker on this machine too.  More of the “Chad decorations” from 20+ years ago.

Here it is with my Ecolux light installed.

It makes a fantastic difference!  What I like most is that the light strip is shining straight down and with it mounted under the top of my machine, at no time are the lights shining in my eyes.  I also like that it has an on off switch and the cord is plenty long enough.  I wish Apple would take a lesson from these folks and give us a little more cord for the iProduct chargers!

These strips come in various lengths to fit small machines like the Featherweight or larger machines like the longarms.

When I travel with my Singer 301, I’m always hauling a portable Ott light so I got an Ecolux for my 301 too.   Not having to pack the Ott light will be great . . and not having to worry about it falling off my little sewing table in hotels or at retreats will be even better!

If you aren’t 100% pleased with the lighting on your machine, check out Ecolux Lighting.

Vince, on the other hand, may not be so pleased with my new light because I’ve been coming back to the sewing room and sewing late at night now that I have the new light!  🙂

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Wow that looks great!! I have a similiar lighting setup by my machine. I am going to get one of those…,for sure! Thanks Judy for more great info 🙂 Thanks for the Borders Book. It is really a good one!! I am already plotting to use it!!!

  2. I came over to see what your chatting about—and it’s the Ecolux light! I just ordered one for my little Janome Platinum 760! What a coincidence! The little Janome is my go to retreat, go to mini group, go to classes sewing machine. Love this machine, but the lighting on it leaves a lot to be desired. I’m glad to hear you like the Ecolux lights. I am a bit concerned about the reflection downward from the LED’s on the white base of the machine bed back up towards my eyes. Have you noticed any of that? I guess with your hands and fabric on the bed of the machine most of the time, the white machine base would be covered most of the time.

    • Great to see all the good things mentioned about the Ecolux Lights. I became the Canadian distributor for these incredible lights because of how amazingly bright they are. There is no reflection, no heat, the light is pure and clear. Just easy seeing and sewing. Yes, we can now sew day and night. You might not get any sleep at your retreat, there is no strain on your eyes either.

  3. Judy, I have the same issue with my sewing room. My room is 500 sq ft and I installed 2 track lights with 5 halogen bulbs each that I could move the bulbs where I wanted them. They are horrible and very hot. I replaced the bulbs with non halogen and still no good. Changing them out for fluorescent fixtures with the bright bulbs soon. In the mean time, I purchased the Ecoulux system and I love it. In fact I purchased 2 bulbs that work with one power box so now I have one on my 730 and the other on my 430. I am a happy camper!! Or I will be once I get the new lighting in the ceiling!
    Kathy Alden in overcast SW Idaho!!

  5. I bought three right after Bonnie Hunter talked about them. I have one on my Featherweight and two on my longarm (two cover the 26″). I LOVE them!

  6. I know right where you are coming from when you talk about the lighting situation! I have never tried or even seen an Ecolux light, but I am definitely going to go check them out! Thank you!

  7. What size did you get for the Bernina?
    I might order one for a good friend.

  8. Looked into the Ecolux already, but since I am in the middle of packing to move, I decided to wait a couple of weeks to order, so that it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. ( I don’t know anyone that loses things when they pack to move, do you?!) seein what a difference it makes has me wishing I weren’t being so practical!

  9. When I first read about the light I noticed all the reference to 3M. Good advertisement for the place Vince works. When I looked at the price I thought……OH MY! Why is a little row of lights so expensive?
    Then I thought about how much I paid for my Ott lights and how they get in the way if I need them for sewing machine sewing. Now thinking about the ease of use, amount of light they produce and portability I feel the price is not so bad.

  10. I’ve never heard of these before, but boy would my machine improve with one! My sewing room doesn’t have great lighting and I often find myself wishing I had better lighting when sewing in the evenings. I am definitely going to be looking into one of these. Thanks so much for sharing!

  11. When I bought my serger, I paid more for the one I bought because it had built in LED lights and it makes a huge difference. Last Christmas, my husband ordered light strips and wired my sewing table so I could use it as a light table– and ordered a clear insert for me. I love LED lighting!

  12. Oh bless you Judy! I’ve been looking for something like this to add to my APQS Liberty for some time, and it will also be great to put one on my Bernina and leave my Ott light at home when I go to quilt retreats. Not to mention, I see they are available at Checker, so I can get mine wholesale. You have the BEST information!

  13. I think I’m going to have to check out those lights as my sewing room does not have great lighting. Thanks for chatting about them.

  14. i must be dense, because i can’t wrap my head around the website information. do i understand correctly that you can buy as many strips as you need and only one cord? you plug the cord into the different strips as needed? when the strip goes, do you just get another strip?

    • yep, that’s right.
      the strip plugs into the cord, and then the cord plugs in to the electrical outlet.So if you have multiple sewing machines, all you need is one full set (light and cord) and then for the other machines all you order is the light.

  15. too bad they overruled the fluorescent tube lighting because they make daylight bulbs for the tubes and they are fantastic for lighting up the entire sewing space. i had the tube holders put up to replace the pot lights that were in the room and now have 16 fluorescent daylight bulbs to light the space. wonderful and worth considering if you are unhappy with what you ended up with.

    • i also have the overhead fluorescents because i work in a basement with few windows, but the machine still makes it’s own shadow. this sounds like a good addition to any other lighting.

  17. Lighting is so important, especially as we get older. Our eyes let in less and less light as we age. I invested in the 48″ OTT-LITE® Tubes (F40T12) about 14 years ago. They have been in four different sewing rooms. I have only had one go bad in all that time. Right now I have 30 tubes in 15 fixtures on 3 different switches. My room is approx. 16 x 20. It is not too much for me. I can work anytime of the day or night.

  18. I found these lights at a local shop and bought one for my Bernina. I believe it is a 5 light, if I’m not mistaken. I LOVE it. You can also purchase just the light set and then interchange the plug for whatever machine you need the light for. Just the light set is, of course, less expensive so it’s the way to go if you want one for each of your machines. That’s what I did for both of my Berninas.

  19. Hmmm…… I’ll be nice. I have an Ott corkscrew bulb in a swinging arm lamp that is right next to the left side of my machine, and I love it. I often chuckle because when I have my nose glued to my project and the little lamp to the left of my head and the machine, we must look like that little “boink, boink” lamp from one of the major film companies and I are in deep consultation on a project. I get a little chuckle. Good lighting is so important, and I’m having trouble with my nearsighted eyes these days. Just can’t function without it.

  20. i have two very tall windows (90″wide total) right in front of my machine, so i have great daylight. But when we go back to regular time and the sun sets at 4:30, I’ll really get good use out of my new light strip. No more lost hours of quilting!

  21. Each year that passes I need more light. I have the light that attaches to the machine and has a bendy neck to place it where I want. My only complaint with it is if I get to going too fast it sometimes shakes. Since I sew more accurately when I go slower it’s a good reminder.
    I like that bendy light on the left. Do you remember where you bought that? I need one like that when I use my Featherweight, since the one I use won’t mount to the FW.
    Congratulations about the upcoming daughter in law and grandbaby! You and Vince will be great grandparents!

  22. I have 4 sets of fluorescent lights, each having 4 bulbs. I have the natural bulbs in them. The lighting is great….the noise all this lighting makes is irritating. The fixtures have an underlying hum. All I hear is the hum. It is surprising how loud they are. I thought this would be the best system for my sewing retreat. Remember, no solution is perfect.

    • I have to agree on the noise fluorescent lights make. It bugs me, so I have the music on all the time. Wish I could get my FM antenna to work so I could listen to my favorite FM station in the basement/sewing studio.

Discover more from Patchwork Times by Judy Laquidara

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading