One handed stitching

Oh you poor thing! Much sympathy.

I cannot stitch either at present. I am recovering from pneumonia, and all I do is sit there. I can pick up a needle and thread, or a pair of knitting needles, then it takes me ten minutes to recover from that effort, so finally I put them down again and pick up my book.

It's a bear, isn't it?

By the by, however did you come to fall off your motor bike? I'm so glad you were wearing full kit, around here I quite frequently see idiots riding in tank top, shorts and flipflops. Oh yes, they wear a helmet, it's illegal not to, but I often shudder at how they would survive the slightest mishap.

Take lots of care of yourself, and send someone to get you lots of reading matter. Only use your left hand for prescribed therapy.

Hugs.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Marg i wish you easy and quick healing , Since you can`t embroider [ and please don`t push it , i once did , it doesn`t help healing at all !!!!, read about stitching , sort out your threads /patterns etc,,, Think STitches ,,,, and HEAL WELL ,,Than work with physiotherapy on renewing your abilities !!! mirjam

Quick Healing Olwyn Mary mirjam

First - poor Marg - heal quickly. Now - where's Pat Porter, the queen of one handed stitching? I know she uses a floor stand.

Cheryl

Sorry Marg, but glad you were wearing the proper gear and didn't do anything even worse. Some ICU nurses I knew used to call the stupid bikers, who shunned helmets and equipment, Donorcyclists.

Cheryl beat me to the floor stand idea, but maybe even an inexpensive (think Michaels) lap stand would help.

Heal quickly.

Lucille>

That's what we call them, too. I've done more than 250,000 miles in 35 years of riding, and this is the first time I've done anything this stupid. I'm seriously thinking of doing an advanced rider training refresher course next summer. You can never have enough experience and training.

I actually have a floor stand, but it is very large. Somewhere in my stash I have a wee lap stand that might work. Got to go digging :)

MargW

Sorry to hear that Marg! :( I hope you heal quickly!

Better late than never - sorry to hear about your mishap. Glad you're a smart rider, with good protection. You don't want to know how on the bus (ambulance) we refer to the aftermath of non-protected biker accidents.

Thinking knots are not for now - but hope you've found using one of your stands doable. Or, you could borrow from the NP world, and use a frameweight - i.e. Some kind of weight, bean bag, or even a table clamp (like a small adjustable wood clamp) to hold the piece in Q-snaps to a table, with your working area hanging off the edge (over the open air) then you stitch in that place. The weight will counter the effect of you stitching, so the piece stays steady - and you can stitch one-handed without using a big stand. Typically those without a stand do this to stitch two-handed, but I'd think this would work for you.

Hope the healing is going well!

Ellice

Thanks, Ellice - those are all great ideas. I've used frame weights before and found them very useful.

BTW, you're not the only ones who have names for those riders who don't dress properly. :) It's interesting that among the BMW riders who are largely long distance and touring riders, you will usually find excellent protective clothing being worn at all times. There are the occasional idiots who don't, but they are in a minority.

MargW

Unfortunately here in stupid Florida there is no helmet law and since it's hot many of the dopes don't wear them. We're always hearing about fatalities that simply don't have to happen. There was one the other day and sadly, not just the biker was hurt. The driver of the car that he was involved with was killed.

Here's some extra hope that the healing is going well.

Lucille

Hurry up and get better, Marg - I`ve been stitching one handed for 17 years at least and never DID manage to cope with French knots that way- so if I really HAVE to have them, the nearest I can get to is beads!

The broken ribs are SO painful, aren`t they? I managed that a year or two ago, and remember it well. All I did was trip over and fall across the arm of a chair, though. I`m so glad that the only one of my grandsons who`s into motorbikes always wears the full kit with back protector etc., but we still worry!

Pat P

Thanks, Pat:

I went to see the surgeon today and had the stitches out. They removed the original splint/cast and put a new one on. The new one (neon yellow!!!!) covers less of the fingers so I have more agility with the left hand. French knots are still hard. I go back in two weeks to have this one removed. I was surprised at how little (almost none) I could curl the fingers. The orthopedic technician doing the cast said that was normal for having had my fingers in basically an outstretched position for three weeks. I will be doing therapy once the cast is off.

MargW

Not that she stitches, but DD spent last week with her left index finger splinted after three stitches. The ER did in case there had been tendon damage. The orthopedist said there was none (hurrah). But after just 4 days splinted, she was having a hard time moving it for the first few hours. Dr. Zimmerman (another female hockey player) told her that was completely normal.

Find a great PT and you'll be better in no time. C

Congrats on getting the stitches out, and your cast changed. It is amazing when casts come off. I broke both my arms when in 6th grade - made for interesting year - but with rehab movement comes back pretty steadily. It's that at first desire to scratch and stretch. Getting the skin all nice and smooth again always is what bothers me. Funnily enough - at that time, when just 1 arm was broken - though only my finger tips showed and the cast went to the shoulder - my piano teacher kept trying to convince me it was worth it to keep on with lessons - hah.

Hoping all your healing continues - and - hey - just do beads instead of French knots if it works for you.

Ellice

Good idea, except that one of the pieces I'm working on is one of the miniature French and colonial knot pieces. It will wait. Otherwise. I'm trying to get a couple of ornaments ready for an ornament exchange, and an ATC (artist's trading card) for a friend..

Joanne Gatenby of X's and O's has a model she wants me to stitch once the cast is off.

MargW

Ah, understand the French knot dilemma. Glad to hear you have other things to work on despite the cast.

Cool- her pieces are so interesting.

Ellice

If you go to her site (Xs-and-ohs.com) and scroll down, you'll see Afternoon Delight. That's the first model I stitched for her.

She has wonderful accessories as well.

MargW

That's sweet.

Cheryl

Glad you`re improving, Marg. I have exactly the opposite problem - my fingers just want to curl up. It`salmost funny - I have to "sneak up on them" if I happen to relax and have them straight. At the slightest hint of anyone paying them any attention they just curl up tight again!

I had a purple cast when I broke my ankle last year (actually I only chipped a bone, but it still hurts after all this time.) My #4 grandson is a motorbike freak/mechanic and had to have his wrist straightened out a few months ago after breaking it in an accident a couple of years previously. It wasn`t set properly and was very crooked).

Pat