Good Morning, Quilters,
As I planned my syllabus for the five-day class I’m teaching (as you read this) at The John C. Campbell Folk School, I knew I had to include a lesson on sewing safety.
It’s been almost three years since my sewing accident. (Read about HERE: Inattentive Stitching: A Cautionary Tale) I stitched through my finger (while sewing a Tuesday Tutorial) and required surgery to have the needle, shards, and thread removed. While the wound has long since healed, my finger has never been the same. It doesn’t have full range of motion and it always feels a little stiff.
After the bandages were removed, I was forced to analyze how I work and why it happened.
I came to the following conclusions:
- A sewing machine is a power tool and deserves respect.
- When using a darning foot for free motion quilting, the needle is more exposed than in regular sewing.
- My hands were frequently under the needle to reach short threads.
- The foot pedal on my sewing machine is very sensitive…a small tap-and DOWN comes the needle.
SEWING SAFELY
I recommend everyone adopt these two safety precautions:
- Use tweezers to reach the threads under the needle.
- Train yourself to remove your foot from the pedal every time you stop sewing.
Three years have passes, and I can honestly say, I have adopted both of these habits. I ALWAYS have a pair of tweezers next to my sewing machine, and I move my sewing foot to the rung of my chair every time I stop sewing.
If I every forget, I’ll just look at these X-rays again and get a cold shudder reminder.
What about YOU?
Ever have a run-in with your sewing machine?
What safety measures to you take in YOUR sewing room?
We’d LOVE to hear!
Happy, Safe Sewing!
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images (including X-rays) and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!
For more quilting tips, machine quilting, doodling and inspiration, check out my Craftsy videos- 50% off for readers of The Inbox Jaunt!
82 comments
Christina Arendes
I had a run in with a rotary cutter. The side of skin was sliced off my thumb and required stitches. I was told that we would have to wait and see the results. Luckily for me the skin did grow back. Needless to say I am extra careful where I place my hand on a ruler while cutting.
Jackson Watkins
Hi Lori, I also had a recent run in with my sewing machine needle while piecing a quilt top. I can only imagine how sore your finger was in the coming days based on my experience. Although my situation was different, I thought what happened to me could also serve as a lesson to someone else. While piecing a quilt top, I was coming to an intersection of pressed down seams when I noticed that I was about to stitch the seams down going in the opposite direction as intended. Instead of immediately stopping my machine, I tried to press the seam down in the correct direction with my index finger with the machine still running, and as the seam was dangerously close to the needle, I jammed my index finger up against the machine needle as it came down on the very edge of my finger. While the needle did break the skin from the top to the bottom of my finger, it did not go through my finger, thank goodness. It caused my finger to be extremely sore for a few days. So, after my little mishap, and reading your terrible story, I now have a much greater respect and love for my sewing machine! Thanks so much for sharing your story. It had never crossed my mind about the open toe foot putting our fingers so close to the needle, or how much power the “needle down” position has. To your readers, remember me referring to it as a “nail gun”.
Michelle Jenkins
I have only been sewing for 18 months, so to date have avoided a sewing machine accident. I did come close when my 4 year old crawled under my table and pressed the sewing machine peddle when I hadn’t seen him. I have however become a victim of the dreaded rotary cutter. I cut the end of my thumb quite badly. I was so sore but more annoyed as my sewing was put on hold for a few weeks. I would like to think there will be no more injuries but I’m sure there will be, I only hope they don’t hurt as much as the last one!
WordPress.com Support
We’ve all done that–once!
Kris B
Let’s see…the major injury was cutting the corner of my index finger off while rotary cutting. That was probably the worst injury I’ve ever had. The nerves at the tips of your fingers, as you know, are the most sensitive and any little bump to it caused me to turn white & almost faint. I’ve also caught my other finger under my longarm needle and been pelted by broken needles in the face, but thank God, not in the eye. I feel like I need to wear Kevlar when I quilt sometimes!
WordPress.com Support
Wonder what OSHA would say–LOL!
Anne Brennan
Never sewed my finger (yet), but I have cut my hair off with a rotary cutter. Now I always tie my hair back before I start cutting!
Terry Harper
I long ago adopted moving my foot off the foot pedal and using forceps for thread tails, and have had only two nicks in a long life time of sewing. As a quilter, I also have cats. When sewing, a cat would jump on my sewing table, I would immediately take my foot off the pedal. The needle would stop up. (Bernina 32 years). Never a close call. Free motion quilting is different. I use needle stop down, and that means I have twice sewn a cats paw. I cried more than they did, and they quickly forgave me. No more needle stop for me. Loss of using that feature is minor to insure my cats safety. I can’t and won’t shut them out of the sewing room. They really are my quilting buddies.
Lori Kennedy
Oh my gosh! That is so sad! You are the second quilter to tell me they stitched their kitty’s paw!
Klinda Rath
My experience was a bit different. I ran a needle clear through middle of index fingernail. It broke the needle off in thick part, just under screw that hold it in! I felt extreme pressure, but not pain. I kept waiting for that, amazed that it didn’t hurt. When husband yanked it out with pliers, I nearly fainted, as all the blood in my body rushed to the finger!
WordPress.com Support
Oh dear! Makes me light headed just to think of you!
Rosemary
I taught sewing to middle school students and even after my warnings, I had one student get her finger caught under the needle. I calmly walked over to her and moved the hand wheel so that the needle came out. She must have thought I had a magic wand and/or magical powers, but no. I have had my hand get caught by the screw that holds the needle in place and that makes my heart rate go up. So I try to use a chop stick or other pointed tool when I want to get “in close.”
Elizabeth Perryman
Even if you do not have your foot on the pedal, if you have a pet or child in the room with you, they can inadvertently press the pedal and you could end up with a needle through your finger. It happened to me, so now if I have to make any adjustments that bring my fingers close to the needle or near the bobbin area; I turn off the machine before hand.
WordPress.com Support
Great tip!!
Patricia Ballantyne
Lori….just a thought ( am a physician). Since the needle did not go through the distal joint of that finger, theoretically your range of motion should be OK. The tendons may have got shortened with your finger being less mobile during the healing. Gentle exercises (ie. Physio) may help over time.
WordPress.com Support
I am a physical therapist and agree in theory. But I definitely have stiffness in the joint–nothing major. I’ve tried everything.
Primrose Bohne
Ouch, ouch, ouch. I’ve had near misses too, usually when not paying attention, or when my mind starts to wander. I did read somewhere, I think, or saw, that there is a needle guard for the FMQ foot?
Lori Kennedy
Yes, but it only helps while you are stitching–not when you are reaching under the needle to grab the bobbin thread–which is when I was injured.
joycelukasJoyce
OMG! Yes! Many times! After my first visit to the ER with a shattered needle incident to my index finger,I learned to stop the machine immediately, unscrew the needle from the machine and remove the needle with a pair of pliers. So far i have not shattered a needle and sometimes manage to extricate the needle from the nail still threaded. Since I stopped using a foot peddle I have not had this incident. I think my foot and sewing hand were not coordinated.
Roberta in D
Ouch! Those Xrays give me the shudders too. But there are other things that can cramp your sewing style that don’t need a machine. I once tore off the tendon in my little finger by falling on it, and while going about my daily life one-handed for several weeks, injured hand elevated as ordered, I heard a lot of stories mostly from elderly ladies at bus stops. This injury used to be called “housemaid’s finger” back when people had housemaids, and it happened while tucking sheets under a mattress or sliding piles of folded linens onto a shelf. Easy to bend the little finger in a bad way, but all the fingers are vulnerable. Made me think of all the folded quilts and piles of fabric we handle.
neonkittyquilts
I’m so sorry that you had to have surgery! I had a similar X-Ray several years ago…boy the fastest way to move through administration in a NYC ER is to walk in with a needle sticking out of your finger. I was lucky, it broke in 2 pieces cleanly as it hit the bone so the resident was able to pull them out (in spite of the fact that HE looked as if he was about to pass out ;)…) I now make sure I keep my fingers further away as I stitch…
brendaintheboro
I have stitched my finger at least 3 times I can think of but always managed to get the needle out myself. it does hurt a lot though. I learned and haven’t done it for years as I use bent headed tweezers to get at short threads.
Pat D
When I was 6 or 7 yrs, I also stitched into my finger with Mom’s treadle machine. Wonder how many others have done the same?!
Kris
I have never had this serious of an accident with my machine but several times I have caught my self reaching for a thread or doing something where my fingers are under the needle and I remove my foot from the pedal or re-position my hands. Having a tweezers beside your machine is a good suggestion. I will need to get one for that purpose.
twotoast
Ouch, that was a really nasty accident. When I was about three or four I went into the front room (out of bounds) at my Grandmothers house. It was an Aladdin’s cave with all the fabric, yarn, thread, buttons – oh, and a treadle machine. I managed to run the needle through my finger, and feeling very upset and in pain I went into the living room, standing in front of the fireplace. I wasn’t brave enough to tell anyone what I had done – knowing that I would get into trouble. They guessed pretty quickly though, as although I hid my hand in my pinafore pocket – the blood somewhat gave me away!
annieofbluegables
Thanks for the reminder. I’ve taught grand daughters to sew and never thought of teaching them safety. I think I will print your X-ray picture and hang it in my sewing room as a reminder.
I have sliced through my left index fingertip pad with the rotary cutter once. Not a fun day at all. Needless to say that halted all sewing projects for a while.
I once had a parakeet that wanted to fight with the needle as I sewed. And it always scared me that I was going to sew his little beak to my project.
He also loved to land on my quilt stretched on the quilting frame and pull out straight pins I was using to baste the quilt. Then he would take the pins to the edge of the quilt, cock his head and watch them drop them to the floor. So I had to keep an eye on him or I had potential foot injuries.
My new Bernina has a magnetized strip on the right side. It is for the stylus, but I keep my tweezers there instead.
Lori, I love your blog, I love your teaching method, I love your classes on Craftsy, and I read your blog daily. I love the other readers who make comments I’ve learned lots from them as well.
Thank you for your generosity. You have given me lots of courage, and I believe that my quilting has improved greatly because of you.
When I was in the market for a new machine, Bernina was one of the machines I was considering. Because you loved yours so much, I went to the grand opening of the little store in our town and got to try it out and decided that that’s what I was going to get. I love it!
So, thank you!
~a
WordPress.com Support
Thank you for your kind words! So glad you are enjoying The Inbox Jaunt and your new sewing machine!
Marta
Just another finger story.. missed the bone…years ago. My younger machine of about 4 years has foot pedal that is supersensitive. I cannot rest foot on it at all or it takes off at breakneck speed. Now that I read others have same experience, I will
not take it to shop… just always move foot far away.. and I discovered the answer to
another situation…. the machine continuing to sew after I stop.. it happens after sewing for quite awhile. Now it will get rest breaks more often. OK, I need them too! LOL.
Thanks for sharing folks! great help. I have a tip. About blood… I had read that
saliva can remove your own blood…it has worked for me.. I keep paper towels in
sewing room anyway. But I apply my saliva to my blood drops or smears and blot with the paper towel.. I have even done that up to 4 times, one after the other not letting it dry out, and it has always worked. Safe trip home, Lori, with all fingers and toes intact !! I am sure you garnered lots of compliments on your classes. Good job!
Shelly (Meemo) Murphy
I stitched through the end of my finger ans fingernail with my longarm! Broke the needle, split my fingernail and just really hurt. Luckily there was no blood on the quilt.
WordPress.com Support
Always protect the quilt above all else–LOL!
Isabelle Rauch
Glad the dgit is better. I specialize in scissors falling off the work surface and getting stabbed and jabbed. Care and not “running ” helps. Thank you for your posts.
Carolyn Dell
Thanks for the tips. I have always wondered how a person could sew their finger. Now I see how I will be more diligent in removing my foot from the foot pedal!! I’m always pulling up the short bobbin thread tail with my fingers!!
The Lisa Marie
My mom did this twice! Both times were while she was sewing wedding dresses for my sisters. (Think red blood on white fabric). She was lucky, though, in that the needle didn’t hit bone in either incident. I’m lucky to have learned from her injuries.
Gretchen Barclay
I do a sewing room safety program. We forget how many potentially dangerous objects we use for sewing. Children and pets are also at risk around machines, irons, cords, dropped needles or pins, plus sharp scissors and cutters of every size. My vintage machine with a knee bar is one I have to be careful with. It’s easy to forget and lean on it when your hands are in harm’s way. I will remember your x-ray, too.
cookinformyboys
Thank you so much for sharing your great tips with your readers. I write the education column for my guild and will be including this post in next month’s newsletter!
Alice Boudreaux
Lori, I have never attempted FMQ! Which of your Craftsy classes would you recommend for a beginner? Thanks again for your blog!
WordPress.com Support
Divide and Conquer
helenmarie
I was much more lucky than you. The needle went through my nail at the top of my finger and shattered under the nail. It went in at the perfect angle… missing the bone.. .thank goodness. The doc was able to remove 6 small shards of needle from under my nail without having to remove the nail. I consider myself VERY lucky and have been more diligent about keeping fingers away from the needle. But it never hurts to have reminders like this to keep us all aware of how dangerous our hobby can be.
Julia Nakao
Thank you for all your postings. This is definitely one of the most important ones and well worth remembering.
Cheryl Parker
I’ve always been afraid of the needle. I’m usually good at keeping my fingers back. That said, I did get the needle thru the skin once, while cleaning the machine (I was too lazy to remove the needle before cleaning). I will say that using a hand crank machine reduces the chances for sewing thru my finger (only one hand to guide the fabric, and that hand usually stays several inches from the needle). I did have surgery for a lump on my first finger on my right hand (I’m right handed) 9 years ago. The lump was wrapped around the nerves in my finger (didn’t show up on the x-rays), and I’d told the doc that I didn’t want surgery if it would mess with me being able to hand quilt. I had therapy after the surgery (wasn’t planned until he saw the extra stuff wrapped around the nerves). I have almost full use of that finger now. The doc didn’t think I’d ever be able to hand quilt again, after he saw everything. He was surprised at how hard I worked to get as much motion/movement back in that finger. I used my own therapy, by hand quilting (one stitch at a time, painful) until I could get several stitches at a time with that finger. Cold weather reminds me of my injury.
Louise Duff
Thank you, Lori. Excellent advice. I don’t have the tweezers handy but I do shift my foot away from the pedal.. I will not get tweezers as well!
Marjorie Kammueller
I buy O’lippa safety shield guards for my rulers and use the rotary cutters that automatically close because I am so afraid when teaching somebody how to quilt that they will hurt themselves; but it keeps me from hurting myself, too. The guards are wonderful…..similar to angle iron – only plastic and stick on with a peel off adhesive – can be cut to size if you know somebody who can cut through acrylic. We all need to be so careful as any accident slows down the sewing.
Marsha Jean
DId the same thing when I was 12 yrs old! My mother taped the needle pieces to the top of my machine as a reminder. They were there on into adulthood when I finally bought a new machine. My fingernail has never been the same…grows a bit past the end of my finger and then turns up on the edge…I remember the experience being quite painful. Now that I teach children to sew, I remind them of your suggestions based on my own experience.
Ida
I just ran over my finger 2 weeks ago. I am a beginner so I was practicing some free motion trying to get my arms to relax as I moved a practice piece around. Thought I was doing pretty good. Even spelled my name. It was odd that I didn’t run over my finger until I put my zigzag foot back on so I could work on some mending. I can’t believe I started pushing on the fabric as if I were free motion quilting and pushed my finger right into the needle. Didn’t hit the bone or nail bed but tore up the pad of my finger tip when I yanked back. Still healing.
Ann Armstrong
My longarm machine repair person reminded me that all machines are powerful and if we followed OSHA regulations we would wear safety glasses take precautions. I have always been afraid of sewing my finger and so have always be cautious around my needles. A month ago I was sewing on my domestic machine and rushing to get a project done. I was tired and should have stopped but I didn’t. I rushed, I blinked and I sewed the fleshy part right next to the nail. Ouch. First mistake, sewing when tired. Second mistake rushing to finish (and the project didn’t get finished after that anyway) and third mistake was not paying attention to what I was doing. Thanks for the reminder!
jbaner
Yes…I, too, have run a needle through my finger. It was when I was doing free motion. So easy to get the finger way too close to the needle. I, however, was luckier than you. The needle went in AND out again and then broke…..actually I’m not sure when it broke, I’m just glad that it came out on it’s own. Hurt so bad I couldn’t even scream, but when I caught my breath it was very loud and had my hubby come running! I am now very conscious of where my fingers are in relation to the needle and I do teach that in my classes also……thanks for the reminder!
Gloria Chandler
I did “take a stitch” through my finger once. Once is enough!! The worst accident I have had was to cut the side of my finger off with the rotary cutter. Lots of bleeding and a trip to the emergency clinic. I did learn that nasal spray will stop the bleeding, so I keep that handy. I also purchased a klutz glove although I have become lax using it. But I am extra careful now with my rotary cutter.
Vivian
I inherited a singer featherweight 220 complete with everything including the box and ALL attachments. Was thrilled to have it. When my BFF who gave it to me said, you really ought to sew on it, I gave it serious thought. So, I plugged it in to see if it was functional. It turned a few times and then I had a divine intervention from my Angel Team above. I stopped and checked the rubber gasketing around the take up wheel. It was dry but had no visible cracks. Being a techie and knowing the storage condition of this machine, I decided that I wanted it replaced. I brought it in to my local sewing guy and he told me it was fine. I insisted that I wanted it replaced anyway. I didn’t care that it would cost me his time. He takes it to the back of store and then calls me over. “upon a closer inspection, I’ve discovered all these cracks on the inside. This would have eventually cracked and snap off the wheel”, he tells me. Ah, yes, I replied. This is why I pushed the issue. I did not tell him that my Angel Team gave me that same vision. I was glad I listened to them. V-
Gigi
I use the Grip and Stitch by Clever Crafts Tools when free motion quilting. Keeps all fingers out of the way. Excellent tool that should be in every sewing room/studio.
Karen L.
Well, I have not sewn through my finger …. yet …. and hope never to do so. Those x-rays are down right scary! Boy that must have hurt. I have just recently taken to moving my foot off the pedal after I realized I was hovering over it while pulling threads to the back of the machine. I usually use a “purple thang” to do that but was in a hurry and didn’t bother. Guess that is part of the safety measures … don’t try to do things so fast you aren’t paying attention to the details. I did poke my hand with an ice pick when I was trying to put a new belt on my treadle machine. Learn a lesson there also. Also took a wee slice out of a finger with a rotary cutter which is also a dangerous weapon. Lessons learned I hope. Bet you are enjoying the NC mountains while at JCCFS! Hope the classes are going well.
lilquilter
Thanks, Lori and others, for these important tips and reminders. Although I’ve managed over my many years of sewing and quilting not to sew through or cut off any fingers, l have had a couple of friends who haven’t been so lucky. Debbie required stitches after her rotary cutter jumped over the edge of the ruler and sliced her finger, and Cindy dropped an open rotary cutter on her foot and severed a tendon, crippling her for several weeks. Whenever I find myself being a bit careless, I say to myself, “Stop!! This is how accidents happen!!”
Happy, safe quilting, everyone!
Amy Roth
I have done both of these for a long time. Though out of laziness than for safety! 😉
1) I have sadly reconciled myself to the fact that my eyes don’t see like they used to and it’s just much easier to grab the tweezers and get my thread than it is to try to grab it with my fingers. and 2) I’d rather not have to take to deal with the inconveniences that might present themselves from dropping my needle unintentionally.
Not to say I haven’t sewn my finger. I have. With a longarm (using my fingers to guide the fabric under the needle). But it happened so fast that I didn’t feel it. At first. I did feel it later though. That same finger has been cut twice with the rotary blade. 😐
Sewing wouldn’t make it to the top of many hazardous to your health lists, but there are dangers. Sew Safe everyone!
Ellen Rittenhouse
Thanks for the reminder to always practice safety when in the sewing room. For about 15 years I mainly used industrial machines and learned to use the “brake” to stop sewing and kept my foot there until I was ready to move forward. Early on I had one close call that taught me fingers are not suitable “fabric”. Now that I use powerful home machines I often wish they had “brakes” as a part of the foot control. For anyone who does not know what the brake is it is a foot control that stops immediately when you push with your heal instead of the toe.
Susan
Thank you for this lesson.
Maureen B.
Very early in my life, one of my older sisters put the needle of our old treadle machine through her fingernail. She still whines about it to this day ? so we all learned “sewing machine respect” early on. I wear my thread-clipping scissors on a suspension lanyard thingie attached to my collar when I sew (and often later on when I notice them in the mirror, but I digress). If the threads are short I flick them out from under the needle with the point of the scissors. So far it’s working, but Lori, as the saying goes “forewarned is forearmed”.
I’ve also had the ghost machine issue, like Patty above. The cruise control “brain” on my Juki has had a concussion, and now starts up at will. I’ve learned to turn off the machine whenever I’m moving fabric or changing thread. It can no longer be trusted.
Judy
Thank you Lori for the advice and those succinct “rules” to keep us safe during free motion. While doing regular sewing, a stylus is very helpful to keep fingers out of the way, as well. Thank you to Michele who reminds us that curious grandchildren often can be in harms way in our sewing areas. Great reminders!
Helen Lee
Wish I had saved my x-ray. It was a toe. It also required surgery to remove the broken piece. ALWAYS WEAR SHOES IN YOUR SEWING ROOM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE DIABETES! I have to take my shoe off for good control of my foot pedal but now I always put it back on before getting up from my machine. Pins can drop and hide in the carpet without your realizing it.
Vivian
Thank you for great reminder!! I sew barefoot as well. eventhough I kick off my shoes and they are right there, I never seem to put them back on again. This is painful reminder of what can happen. Cheers, V-
Kathie L
Thanks for the reminder. The tweezer tip is something I will incorporate.
onecreativefamily
I too, have sewed my finger to quilts about 2 or 3 times. Not a fun thing to do. I now am more careful, yes, tweezers are in several places in my sewing room. On a side note I have just enrolled in your Craftsy class and am enjoying it very much. Thank you.
Joyce
I have the same xray, sat in the emergency room for hours, felt really stupid, with my finger throbbing.
I have a young granddaughter that’s loving to sew and I get nervous every time she is in my sewing room. I will show her your picture because all she saw was a little band aid on my finger.
Comments are closed.