Hard Lessons

82 responses to “Hard Lessons”

1. I had a close call, just catching the flesh of my index finger because of my foot on the pedal as I reached for the thread. I always use the tweezers now. Not only are they safer they’re also easier.

2. Thank you for this and especially the x-ray. I have had soooo many close calls. I think about taking my foot off the pedal but now I will most certainly do it. Many thanks and I’m sorry it happened.

3. Those x-rays make me shudder too! Thanks for the tips-especially taking your foot of the foot pedal. While free motion quilting recently, I realized I don’t take it off and as I reached for something, must have put enough pressure on the pedal to make the needle come up–luckily the needle was in the down position! I’ll start to train myself!

4. Wow!! Great tip. I never thought about taking my foot off the peddle. It’s definitely time to invest in a pair of tweezers and make some changes. Thanks for the tip!!!

5. Oh, yes, Lori! I have had my share of needle accidents. Three to be exact! The first was about thirty-five years ago, making Christmas stockings for my wee sons. I was using polyester batting in them (hey, it was the early ’80s!) and not using any kind of stabilizer or tissue paper to hold it in place and was therefore trying to keep the batting in place very close to the needle. Went straight through the side of my finger. I was attached to the machine for several seconds, probably in mild shock, and called through the window to my husband who was working outside who simply said, Can you turn the wheel backwards? Duh! Luckily, the needle hadn’t broken, went to the doctor, made sure tetanus shot was up to date, and all healed. Fast forward thirty years. I was making my first quilt in the hoop on my new embroidery machine. In doing an applique, I was trying to hold down an extremely small piece of fabric in preparation for the machine to do the tackdown, machine did an eccentric move and immediately the needle went down … right through my nail this time! Again, luckily the needle hadn’t broken, all healed fine. I remember thinking, I’ll never do THAT again! and so, a couple weeks ago (five years after the last incident) I am again working on a quilt in the hoop project using embroidery machine. This time, I pulled my finger out as soon as the hoop started moving, but not quickly enough Needle idn’t go through this time, but slashed the fleshy part of my finger, leaving a perfect 1/4-inch gash. All’s well, but I feel I’ve been extremely lucky surgery wasn’t involved in any of these incidents. DO be extra careful, even if you think you ARE being careful. The new embroidery machines are lightning fast!

6. I want you to know that I think of you every time I sew. Or rather, I think of that x-ray of your finger and I move my foot far away from the pedal when my fingers are near the needle. So your posting has taught at least one quilter a lesson!

7. I sewed through my finger, grabbed the needle, pulled it out and the next day there was a dark spot on the nail to show where it happened. That was it! I was blessed.

8. I have four(!) tweezers beside me and will use them even more often than I do now as my machine pedal is very sensitive to pressure. Thanks for the reminder how precious our fingers are. Bev H

9. One day my little brother was walking down the hall and let out a scream. He thought that he had stepped on a needle. After much searching, we gave up trying to find anything. Every now and then he would let out a little scream and say it still hurt. Several months later the needle was found, by x-ray, sticking in the bone of his foot. That was a good thing as it could have traveled up through his body.

10. My cautionary tales have to do with rotary cutters! I used to cut kits at home for a local quilt shop. Once when I had *just* put in a new blade I sliced a 1/8″ corner off my right index finger. Since there was nothing to stitch I just needed to stop the bleeding! After a call to the Ask-A-Nurse line with a warning to have someone else drive me to the ER if I couldn’t get it stopped, I applied constant pressure two 20 minute periods and it worked. I was told not to get my finger wet for two weeks. Darn it all if my family didn’t have to do the cooking and cleaning for that period. I didn’t tell them that I figured out that a rubber glove allowed me to wash my hair and shower. 😉 More recently I neglected to close the cutter when I put it down and accidentally swiped it across the back of my hand. Again a nasty cut right across a vein that is now a constant reminder to CLOSE the blade guard! Never set a rotary cutter down open.

    1. I did the same thing, Mary…. right down to finding out a rubber glove worked in the shower. Cheers to turning a bad situation into a slightly less bad “no cooking/cleaning” situation. However, I did learn my lesson and make sure my hand is well away from the blade when cutting.

11. Thanks MUCH for this wake-up-call, Lori. I don’t have insurance and cannot afford this kind of accident. I purpose to learn from others and value this lesson! ***smiles***

12. Thanks, Lori! I’ve been asked to teach a class on rudimentary sewing & quilting to 5th & 6th graders. I was wondering what to include in the safe operation of a sewing machine, knowing how powerful they can be (when I was a girl, we had a friend who lost part of her finger to a sewing machine). Your articles are always such a blessing to inform and empower us.

    1. For children please consider a needle guard which is attached to the pressure foot; I use this for my granddaughter, they work well. Bernina does not have one but, singer does. Google it.

13. Another word of caution — foot pedals sometimes malfunction and are capable of sewing when your foot is nowhere near the pedal! My pedal rarely, but occasionally sticks. I might be picking up the next pieces of fabric to sew or digging in my sewing drawer for a tool, and all of a sudden a slow stitch will start. The first time I experienced this it took me a couple of seconds to believe what was happening. (Actually, it was kind of spooky!) Slide an implement under the needle to retrieve those threads — not your finger!

    1. OMGosh – I had a similar experience. For years my foot pedal would get hot. I brought it in to sears so many times, that I just plain gave up trying to get it resolved. My solution was to stop sewing when it got too hot. Then I stopped sewing altogether for close to 10 years. After falling back in love with fabric recently (long story) and a tight deadline for a bridal shower gift, I kept sewing. I was actually quilting a complicated motif with my walking foot. I took my foot off the pedal and it kept sewing!! What? I unplugged it and it kept sewing!! Okay, now I’m freaked out that there really is a ghost in the machine. I finally got it to stop and brought it into my local sewing guy. Because the pedal had a carbon filament and it was too hot, it retained the heat and created a spark for energy. Eventually it cooled down enough to stop. OMG – that kind of heat could burn a hole in my carpet? When he asked me if I wanted a replacement from an earlier model, I welcomed it. Couldn’t wait to toss that fire hazard into the trash. I was back sewing again in under two hours and the bride loved her gifts. Back scared the dickens out of me for sure!!! V-

14. Oh Lori, OUCH!!! I was just thinking about this yesterday as I was having issues with both my thread and tapping the foot pedal accidentally. Your timing couldn’t be more perfect. I’m getting my tweezers out and putting them next to my thread trimming scissors. Moving my foot awaaaaay from the pedal. 🙂 Thank you again!!!

15. OUCH! In 60 years of sewing I have never sewen my finger – until 2 days ago. Thankfully it only went through the flesh beside the nail but what a shock. Good pointers on avoiding fingers.

16. I once sewed my finger but the needle did not break. I was working at a Tailor Shop and a cute customer came in. Do not look at cute guys when doing zig zag sewing!! The needle went into my finger right next to the nail. I heard the thud and the machine stopped. My boss looked at me and asked if I sew my finger all I could do was nod my head. He told me to take it out, so I turned the wheel and took it out. He had me squeeze it over the sink for awhile to get out the bad stuff. Now I own my own shop and use industrial machines. I always move my feet off the petal.

17. Another angle on accidents. I always keep my sewing room secure when my grand girls are here. But one day I was showing stuff to “Mommy” and showed my granddaugter how the machine works. We always talk about tools vs. toys. But while we were chatting a few steps away, she turned the hand wheel and put the needle into her fingernail. (Another reason to love my new Bernina-hand wheel is reluctant to move).

18. Thank you for your blog I enjoy all aspects of it very much.
    I have had some close calls with the needle in my sewing machine but have not done that. What I did do while cutting material with ruler and rotary cutter was take a slice into my left index finger because it was just a little too far over the ruler. I had to go to the ER and get 5 stitches. I guess you may say I am a slow learner because a few years later I did it again in the same place ( 4 stitches that time). As they say haste makes waste or rather much pain! I am more careful now!

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. Thanks for the reminder. The tweezer tip is something I will incorporate.

22. 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.

    1. 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-

23. 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!

24. 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.

25. Thank you for this lesson.

26. 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.

27. 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!

28. 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!

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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-

32. 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.

33. 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!

34. 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!

35. 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.

36. 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.

37. 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.

38. 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!

39. 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.

40. Thank you for all your postings. This is definitely one of the most important ones and well worth remembering.

41. 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.

42. Lori, I have never attempted FMQ! Which of your Craftsy classes would you recommend for a beginner? Thanks again for your blog!

    1. Divide and Conquer

43. 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!

44. 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.

45. 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.

46. 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!!

47. 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.

48. 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.

    1. Always protect the quilt above all else–LOL!

49. 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!

50. 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

    1. Thank you for your kind words! So glad you are enjoying The Inbox Jaunt and your new sewing machine!