Not Proper

Did you ever have a friend or family member who worked as a seamstress in a factory setting?

Well I did. My two aunts both worked for Ben Sherman sewing shirts for years and if you do know someone who worked in a similar place then you might already be familiar with a little 'right of passage' of sorts that they believe makes a person a "proper seamstress".

Both of my aunts are proper seamstresses, I am not!

I'm not because the little 'right of passage' they speak of is when a person sews straight through their own finger. Not on purpose mind, but even so.....

This is a bog standard, run of the mill, everyday, regular presser foot.


I figure that you either have to be drunk in charge of a sewing machine or incredibly distracted, like sewing up bullet holes at the front line distracted, to not realise you had managed to pop your finger in the path of the needle when using this foot. I mean, no matter what direction you approach it from there will be a big obvious hunk of metal in the way.

9 times out of 10 I use that presser foot, but yesterday I was sewing in zips. Sewing zips requires the use of a zip foot...


A ha, see that now, endless ways of winding up with a needle through your finger. And it has to go through your finger to count by the way. No little nicks or grazes will cut the mustard, it has to go. Through. Your. Finger, nail and all.

Well I was a bit distracted .....

And I wasn't paying as much attention as I probably should have been .....

And I'd just changed the needle and that boyo was sharp .....

And I'd been sewing for an hour or so, had my rhythm and wasn't exactly taking my time .....

And I got my finger in the way .....



And I'm still not a proper seamstress ......

Though my fingers do appear to be made of Kevlar!

5 comments:

  1. OH! OUCH!!!

    I hope you are ok! My Aunt managed to do the same thing, but ended with the needle embedded through her nail and had a visit to A&E!

    I sew everthing I do by hand, and still manage to embed needles in my fingers and thumbs, but with a mechanism behind it too!! OUCH!!!

    Natalie x

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  2. OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!

    My sister put a fork through her hand once from what I remember being told but she was little.

    I sewed a little at school and a few things on my mums machine. I have a machine but I don't have it here which doesn't help.

    I should ask my mum to bring it over and show me how to use it, but then there is the problem of space.

    Fiona - Christals Creations. xx

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  3. Ouch!

    I remember when I was 9 or 10, being allowed to use Mum's sewing machine and getting "needled" - I still hate that machine! That's my excuse for not using it :)

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  4. I have done it a couple of times over the years but only the very tip of my finger, never a nail. Since I've been doing free machine embroidery I'm very aware of how easy it is and managed it once, drilled a perfect hole in the very tip of a finger. Painful but surprisingly unbloody. I have an embroidery foot with my new machine so feel much safer now!

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  5. Woah. You are hard core.

    (Also, even though it doesn't count because over there you celebrate it in November or something, Happy [North American] Mother's Day.)

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Your comments make me smile. I love that you stopped by.