I shattered the bone in my upper arm on Feb. 21. I have extensive nerve damage and I lost the use of my left hand and wrist. I use to quilt a lot but I can't do it now. I would like to know if any one would be able to tell me a way I could try to quilt again. I can't hold the fabric together to sew the patches together. Once I get it started I am ok but the beginning is hard. I also use to hand quilt so does any one have an advise about hand quilting? Thanks for your help. Theresa

 
First, get some comfrey lotion and massage it into that arm. This will help to repair the nerve and muscle and bone damage. Comfrey's other name is knitbone. If Theresa needs some, she can contact me and I will send her some leaves with instructions on how to make the lotion and apply it.

Now, if she can use clothespins, she should be able to quilt. They are fairly large and should do the trick of holding the fabric together while she quilts. There are also metal clips that she can buy that will hold the fabric together as well. Just find a dollar store and take your time. Craft stores are also great places to look.

Get a quilting frame to help hold the fabric tightly while she hand stitches. Hopefully she is right handed. Get a floor stand with double hoops. One fits tightly inside the other. Then she can sit and quilt without using two hands.

Hope this helps her. Kathy E.

 
My heart goes out to Theresa. I have been where she is at with a badly broken elbow & Ulna nerve damage. I lucked out for the nerve came back. My fingers are still a tad numb at times, but nothing at all like Theresa. If she has quilted in the past, I'm sure she uses a hoop or quilting frame. I used to tape pieces together to sew them when I couldn't hold on to the pieces securely and place it in an embroidering hoop. Give her my very best. Maybe with PE some of her ability will return in time. There is always hope. Iowa Country Gal

 
 
Humm, I can see where some of this would be a problem but I think quilting on a machine could be done with one hand with some practice. You may be slower but you would eventually learn how to feed the fabric through with one hand and you would have to stop every time you wanted to back stitch but it should work. Just don't give up and keep trying until you find a way that works for you.
As for hand quilting, I would get one of those quilting frames. The little ones that look like large embroidery hoops. These should work fine, like I said slower because you may be able to only do one stitch at a time but still it would work.
      
                                                     Becky Whitford

 

Wouldn't an extra large cross stitch hoop help, it would pull the material taut.

Herschnerr's catalog also has a quilting stand, it's like a large hoop on a stand that's hold's your material for you while you quilt. Chanel Cordell