We recently read a news report that entertainer Gwen Stefani broke her finger while stitching samples for her clothing line, L.A.M.B. Apparently she was in a hurry to complete the project and got her fabric and fingers tangled together as she was feeding a garment through an industrial sewing machine. One finger bent backward and was broken. Luckily, Stefani’s injury was reportedly pretty minor. <!—-><!—-><!—->
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You may not think of sewing as a hobby fraught with danger, but most of us have at least one “sewing injury” tale to tell. Care to share yours?<!—-><!—->
Carol <!—-><!—->
Replies
My story is about more of an averted injury....and a warning.
Don't ever, ever sew over pins, no matter what you've been told. Once, when doing exactly that, the needle came down directly on a pin and broke the tip off, which went flying towards my face. Had I not been wearing my glasses, it would have flown into my eye. The point actually damaged my lens (preferable, mind you, to my eye).
Several years later, at design school no less, the sewing instructor pooh-poohed my suggestion that it was unwise to sew over pins. I beg to differ.
yup, exactly the same has happened to me - the flying pins/ glasses thing. scary.
Freind was working on a project, her toddler was insisting on her attention, so she put him on her lap while she continued to sew (do not do this at home) and the inevitable happened - toddler stuck finger under needle - stitched finger, screaming toddler, Mom deservedly feeling stupid....
Oh, dear. I have gotten my long hair caught in the flywheel, stitched my thumbnail to fabric, and bled all over almost every white garment I've ever sewn.
Considering that I've also badly bruised my legs and knees on the machine cabinet, gotten backaches from poor posture and poor chairs, and had migraines from staring at the light shining off the pressure foot and throat plate, it's a wonder I live to sew again!
My 5 year old son sews. He's never stitched his finger, but he once put his finger too close and got it bruised by the screw that holds the needle in. We bought a needle guard for the machine, but I couldn't get used to it and broke it several times.
My 10 year old nephew was visiting and doing something at my sewing table. I'd left my rotary cutter open and he picked it up to see what it was. I shouted No! and as he turned round (blade in hand) to see what I was shouting about he caught my finger. I grabbed the damaged part and managed to get to the bathroom before the blood started. I felt very stupid though and the poor kid was upset - even though I told him it was my fault. No real damage done, just loads of blood.
Brenn
Gwen Stephani broke her finger sewing? This is going to sound horrible but that is *fabulous* -that she's sewing samples, not that she broke her finger! Designers rarely if ever sew samples, especially celebs! Wow, I'm totally impressed. I've got to check out her line now.
oh, and in the business, one thing that always sits in the back of your mind is that one day, you will sew into a finger. It's a given. Finger guards are designed to prevent the worst of possible mishaps but it still happens.
I lost my "virginity" in 1998 when I sewed through my index finger when using an Adler walking foot. It was mess! And a disaster because I was on deadline producing 130 leather pillows for a customer and I was in the middle of nowhere -a town of 800 people- a ranching community. The closest doctor was 40 miles away but with corkscrew mountain roads, the drive was about an hour and a half. The finger wouldn't stop bleeding and I couldn't bleed all over the product so I went to the veterinarian's house (large animal vet) who sewed me up "just this once" :). People laugh but now I keep suture kits in my first aid kit.
Love your story, Kathleen. I have sewn my finger down twice, right thru the flesh and nail. I did this once as a teen and once as an adult. As an adult I realized what was happening and yanked my finger from the machine. It came out with the needle all the way thru it. I then had to pull out the needle which was sticking out both ends. I got it out but went and threw up after. Haven't done it since.
Yep, know just what you mean. I was doing some free motion embroidery, the oldest kid chases the youngest kid, she runs into my chair. My finger goes under the needle. I pulled away, managed not to get any blood on the white (of course) fabric I was working with. I was attached to the machine by green thread running through my finger the needle and back through by finger! I couldn't get it out with just my other fingers so got oldest kid to hand me some hemostats, and got it out. Whew! It took a good while for it to stop bleeding, but it finally did. I wonder how many of us have weird looking fingernails from nail matrix injuries like that?
I was sewing on a old machine and was trying to make a nice button-hole, it really wasn't working so i bent closer to the machine and... ended up with a black and blue bump on my forehead from the thing that you thread
the needle through and goes up and down!
(now i have a new machine that sews button holes beutefully
the needle finger sound real scary i hope it doesn't happen to everyone!
be careful everyone!
Raya
From Netanya
I've never sewn through my finger, but I did cut part of my finger off with scissors once. I was at work doing marine canvas (a white vinyl boat enclosure) and had to cut a zipper to size. I was holding this heavy duty marine zipper where I wanted to cut it, with my thumb and forefinger, and squeezed the scissors really hard to get through the zipper. When it finally snapped, I felt this unbelievable pain and actually heard my finger hit the vinyl on the floor. It was the ring finger of my left hand. We looked for the finger (about a 1/4" piece) but couldn't find it. I went to the hospital and had to have it cauterized (spelling?) to stop the bleeding. When I went back to work afterwards, one of the guys, without even looking up from his sewing, said "we found your finger". Sure enough, there it was sitting on the throat plate of my sewing machine. Gross! A week later it was my birthday. At lunch they had a cake for me and there was a jewelry box with a bow sitting there. I opened it and there was a bloody rubber finger inside that they had bought at Spencer's. What a swell bunch of co-workers!
Sounds like Workmens Comp to me! I don't know which story, including my own, is grosser here. It is interesting to read, however, and it should be a word of warning to all of us to check twice!
I picked this to check out because I wondered about injuries. Just last week, as many years as I've sewn I have done what I always feared. I got my finger under the needle. It was traumatic to say the least. I think often about it possibly happening. Almost every time I sit down to my machine. When I was about 12 (just beginning to sew) I was in the ER for an injury to my foot. A woman (I can remember plain as if yesterday)(this has been about 30 something years now, walked in with a machine needle through her index finger. The nurses, staff were amazed one that she drove herself there, and that the needle was through the bone. I thought about that woman often, many times when I sat down to my sewing machine. Last week I was doing embroidery. The thing about embroidering is your machine is in control of the speed, automatically. I was trying to pull out a thread without stopping the machine as I normally did and got my finger under the needle. Broke the needle, embroidery foot, and the needle went through my finger and nail. My Husband pulled it out with pliers. Cost me another needle that I fear and have my whole life (tetanus).
Keep those fingers out of the way, especially keep small children from your machine at any time when working. When little ones get around my machine when I am sewing I stop the machine until they are away. It's painful, but more than that, very traumatic.
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