Just recently we posted a query on our J&O Fabric Store Facebook page asking our fans to share some of their worst sewing mishaps to date. While we expected the standard wrong sides put together and collars attached to sleeves issues, what we didn’t gander on were the amount of near amputations and close calls our stoic seamstresses were faced with as rotary blades skimmed finger tips and needles pierced thru flesh and nail. Makes one wonder just how safe is this historic hobby of many? So we took a little poll to see and this is what we found. All squeemish and faint of heart, vacate now….this could get kinda ugly!!
J&O Fabrics Says…..
” Calling all bruised, burned, bloodied, & broken. Take a break from the hazards of sewing to tell us one of your best war stories. We could use a good laugh!!!! (or cry)
” I was sewing something, can’t remember exactly, but I went to pull the fabric through cause it was stuck, for some reason I didn’t let off the pedal (I have a knee one) and I sewed my finger and broke the needle!!! It was my last needle, but at least I didn’t drip on the fabric!! “ –Jessica Harrington“
When I was learning to zig zag sew many years ago, I accidentally got my finger in the way of the zig zag. Needless to say,the needle went through my finger from the front and out the side of my finger. I think I was in shock because I went to the teacher holding my finger covered in blood and the needle sticking out of it and all she could do was scream! I remember going to my next class with a bandage on my finger and sitting on it so it didn’t hurt so much. I had a similar incident many years later getting my fingers in the way of a paper shredder! I still have all my fingers though!!! “ –Sandy Cadman
” Was ripping away at a seam and stabbed the palm of my hand with the seam ripper. Must have made it thru all three layers of flesh. Now I know where they really got the name from. “ –Terry Bell
” After 50 years of sewing I still remember my first attempt. I got one of my fingers too close and put the needle about half way in. I was 7 years old and stuck…I yelled, my Mother came, got me unstuck and I haven’t missed a beat since.” -Susan C. McCurdy
” I think it would have to be when I stuck my finger into my big commercial embroidery machine to “pull a thread out of the way” and got my finger caught in the needle. It jammed up the machine and had to reach back and try to turn the needle to up position. Got it up a little “as I was pulling” and broke the needle. I then had the needle sticking all the way threw my finger and had to pull out with a pair of plyers. “ –Dena Stillings Jilka
” Been there, done that, but what about iron burns?? Can anyone say 3rd degree burn?? -Margaret Renee
“ I was rotary cutting some fabric for a quilt and cut a big piece of my finger off! Not fun,downright painful, but I could still quilt!” -Sandy Fullmer LaCross
” I have sewn my finger…and I know I’m not the only one to do so. It’s a right of passage.” -Wendy Kaufman
I think our last quote from Wendy sums our war stories up pretty good. Guess if you haven’t sewn or almost lost your finger to some degree, you really can’t call yourself a seamstress after all! Here’s to all our battered, broken and bruised!
Check out some of our inventory here!
