Sewing mishaps

[iain robb]

So last night I was kneeling on my living-room floor and cutting some rather thick fabric for an 18th-century waistcoat, and I was having trouble getting the rotary cutter through a curve accurately. So I took my hand off the handle and gripped the head of the cutter for more control.

(If you think you know where this is going, just hold on. You have no idea ...)

As you might have guessed, my right index finger slipped forward, slicing it.

I stood rapidly, and for some reason I cannot now fathom I held my six-inch-by-24-inch Lexan cutting guide in my hand, the sharp corner of which I proceeded to scrape across my left leg just above my knee as I stood.

This caused me to plant my right foot so I could look at the scrape on my left leg. But since I had been crawling on the floor, my right foot cramped at that moment.

The pain of that caused me to put my left foot on the floor and let go of my cutting guide, the other corner of which hit my little toe. It may be broken; it is definitely swollen.

I think I'm going to give up sewing for something safer, like underwater demolition or stunt driving.

I share this for two reasons:

First, this all started because I overlooked a basic safety issue. I hope someone is helped by a reminder to always practice safe sewing.

Second, because looking back on it this morning, I got a chuckle out of it and thought you might as well.

What about you? Got any sewing safety tips, or any sewing mishap stories that you look back on and laugh about now?

[Lady Kett]

Ouch, Iain! Hope you're ok!

[iain robb]

Limping, and typing certain letters stings, but I'm OK. 

[Merlin the Elder]

Wow! A one-man cluster ****!  I've never seen one of those before!  Pardon the giggle, but I am glad you're not seriously hurt, Iain.  Sounds like something I'd do.

[Rowan MacD]

   Good to see you have a sense of humor about it!  May your recovery be quick and relatively scar-less.  I know that when I started using rotary cutters, I was always forgetting to move the guard back in place after using it. Hubby said you can always tell when I'm sewing; we are short on Bandaids.

[iain robb]

  Good to see you have a sense of humor about it!  May your recovery be quick and relatively scar-less.  I know that when I started using rotary cutters, I was always forgetting to move the guard back in place after using it. Hubby said you can always tell when I'm sewing; we are short on Bandaids.

Haha!

Maybe you can tell me: How the heck are you supposed to get a Bandaid out of the box and expose the sterile part and the adhesive when you're right-handed and blood is literally dripping off your right index finger?

Maybe I can get some of those armored gloves like fishermen use.

[isabelladangelo]

The good thing about sewing/crafting related wounds like these, they tend not to leave a scar.   

My crafting related accident (which was far worse than any sewing related accidents) involved me, a Styrofoam tube, and a box cutter.   All I can say is I had been sick prior to this incident and still wasn't feeling well when I felt a sharp pain go through my thumb.  I was trying to cut the styrofoam tube in half and did so...but cut my thumb in half as well.  BTW, if you ever go through your thumbnail (or fingernail, or toenail) like I did, silk organza is your friend.   Once it's stopped bleeding, cut out a small piece of silk organza and glue it (super glue is your friend as well.  It really works better than bandaids in these situations.  You know, the ones you probably should have gone to the hospital for but didn't want to deal with the "one stitch?" issue even if you should have gotten it sewn up.) over the cut part of the nail.  It will help keep the finger/thumb/toenail together and let it heal. 

[Auryn]

ohhh iain
that is painful just to think about, I cringed reading the whole post.

Ive had quite a few crafting mishaps,
once- the day I learned to always cut away from me- I sliced my left index finger knuckle open- exposing the whole joint- didnt go to the hospital but did almost pass out.
Ive burnt myself on a multitude of tools

[Rowan MacD]

   @isabelladangelo- Never thought to use organza and super glue as a 'butterfly stitch'. 
   Having volunteered in the ER, I have watched the techs pretty much do the same thing.
   Glue on a piece of sterile silk, and the cut will most often heal with little scarring.  Just be careful to clean the wound carefully. 

   @Auryn-If it's hot, I'll burn myself on it.  Glue guns are the worst culprits.

[Merlin the Elder]

@Auryn-If it's hot, I'll burn myself on it.  Glue guns are the worst culprits.

Oh, yeah!  I'm not a person adept at sewing, but I used to do a lot of electronics building and repairing work. I can't tell you the number of times I put my hand on the soldering iron or splashes molten solder on my hand. Oy! You go to wipe it off right away and spread it on your hand!

[Kate XXXXXX]

There was a sort of awe-inspiring inevitability about all this...

[DonaCatalina]

<shudder>
I'm just glad that I didn't have to witness it. Well, I'm also glad that you'll be okay.

[gem]

Maybe I can get some of those armored gloves like fishermen use.

In fact, you can!