Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Fingers are not for sewing

Okay, I've been using a sewing machine since I was about 6 years old. In all these years (I'm over 30 but under 40) I've never had an injury serious enough to draw blood...until today. But before I go on let me just say that I didn't need stitches nor was a trip to the ER required, thank God!

I use an old machine that is on loan from my step-mother and it belonged to her grandmother. I don't know the exact age but I think it's from the late 1950s or early 60s. It has straight and zigzag stitches, stitch size, reverse and tension control. I've heard of some of the newer machines having safety features that prevent your finger from getting near the needle. Probably something I could have used today.

I was sewing along one of the seams of this bag and it kept wanting to slide sideways. I kept stopping and adjusting the fabric to keep it straight. Well at one point I failed to stop the machine and that's when it happened. My finger became part of the project! I quickly took my foot of the peddle but of course the needle was in the down position. For a split second I had to remember which way to turn the wheel to raise the needle (shivers). I raised the needle raised and grabbed my poor throbbing finger.

As I examined my new puncture wound I was amazed that it wasn't worse. It just punched right through the fingernail, tissue and out the other side. A couple small drops of the red stuff and some intense, albeit short lived pain, and it was over! I poured a bit of peroxide on it, wrapped a band aid around it and was right back at the sewing machine.

So to summerize:

Practice sewing machine safety...always keep your fingers clear of the needle! DUH :)

2 comments:

  1. *shudder* Oh man.. my needle has a hard time going through really thick fabrics sometimes, so I was surprised that it went through your nail! My god.. I would have passed out if that happened to me! Glad you're ok though.. was the bag a mess of blood drippies?

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  2. Welcome to the punctured fingers club! LOL Glad you kept your head about you and didn't do anything silly. Your blog is fun and interesting thank you for sharing!

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