Earlier this week on one of my discussion groups, someone asked about what kinds of aids there were for stitchers who had suffered a stroke and thereby lost use of one hand.
This is a subject close to my heart, because my initial MS attack was misdiagnosed as a stroke for over five years (until I had a second ) attack. Many of the problems I’ve had are similar to those people with strokes have.
Obviously the most useful tool here is a stand. which holds your needlework firmly in place. There are many kinds of stands from ones which sit on the floor, to ones which sit on your lap. They are big investments, which improve anyone’s stitching, so test out some and think about how and where you stitch before buying.
Scissors can be a real problem, but Fiskars makes a pair of shears with short blades which you squeeze to cut. They have nice padded handles too. These are great and could be used to cut thread ends. They may have a smaller size out by now, but if people need smaller scissors, they should look for Thread Snips, which also work by squeezing.
There also may be some problem threading needles. I haven’t tried them but Clover makes an automatic needle threader. I think you load up with needles and put the thread in a press a button. I read that it worked with all kinds of needles.
Lights, especially florescent are a problem because of flickering. You may find compact florescent bulbs better than thing like Ott Lights. Good light may help a lot.
Tacks for mounting canvas are also a problem (it’s that fine motor control thing). Get big head tacks. The best I’ve found are quilter’s tacks, they are stronger (and cheaper). To get the tacks out, try either one of those tools (I can’t remember the name) or a lever-style staple remover. Then you don’t have to work as hard or have as much strength to get the tacks out. Buy quilter’s tack at quilt shops and fabric stores. Store them in a tin can or box.
I also find that the more I can do in advance, the easier stitching is, so I do things like cut my skeins of thread as soon as I open the package, put things onto thread tags so I don’t lose labels, mark my stretcher bars with the sizes big enough so I can read them, and buy project bags, lots of them, so each current project is in it’s own bag. I also buy lots and lots of needles and keep them in used TicTac containers, because I can drop three in one evening of stitching.
Even with all this, there are times I can’t stitch because of weakness, when this happens I get out some old needlepoint books and look at the projects and dream of future things to stitch. When my hands start to hurt, or the stitches start to bee too hard, I always take a break for awhile, because continuing makes it worse. I stitch much more slowly than I used to.
The hardest thing, I think, of having a stroke is learning how to go easy and slowly. It can be hard and depending on your customer’s attitudes you might even want to say (and it’s true) that these tools will help anyone stitch more easily.
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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!! Before my mother had her stroke 2 years ago, she loved doing all kinds of craft/needlework project – since her stroke I have been desperate to find something that she can do with one hand. Whenever I’ve asked at a needlework shop – they just shrug & say “can’t be done”. Having a project to work on would be great therapy for her.
In addition to the Fiskars for cutting, I’ve come across a couple of other things. For small scissors look for snips (sometimes called tailor’s snips). I’ve also seen scissors which are connected across the tops where the finger holes normally are. I think they are some sort of surgical tool, but I don’t know the name.
Keep Stitching,
Janet
For someone with a weakness in one hand, it might be helpful to have someone else thread a lot of needles ahead of time and group them according to their colors onto a pin cushion a square of fabric or even a magnetic strip. Based on the design and where the stitcher is going to work, you could limit the number of colors needed at any specific time. For thread scraps, I always tape a small paper or plastic bag to the edge of the table where I am working. Having a small button sized magnet is great to park needles for a while at the end of a stitching session. For me, I rebel a bit when I hear someone say “It cannot be done.”. Often, with a bit of creativity, many things are possible.
I do this with the tic tac box to.
I also have a disorder like MS. Smaller projects that are less tiring and more conquerable has to be included for starting back up. It is hard to accept that I can’t do what I used to — putting on some calming music helps me to just slow down and relax. I,too, read books when I am really bad and come up with plans of things to do. Multiple pin cushions help — placed around the environment so you don’t have to go fetch one. I also “box up” my projects so that I don’t forget parts and pieces/colors etc. It means some redundancy in items, but it cuts down on forgetting things.