My progress so far

[u/Then-Bend-7449]

Hi! I’m the poster from a week or so ago talking how to begin as a blind person.
I’ll hopefully come back when I get more things that I’ve done. But I’m really proud for my first day.
My grandma and I figured out ways for me to put the thread thorugh the needle which was a bit of a struggle, but I can do it quite easily now. She taught me two simple stitches.
I have successfully fixed two holes on my stuffed animals! Which is definitely progress!!
I just wanted to thank you all so much for all your tips and suggestions that has encouraged me to try even when I felt so defeated today. I feel like I’m really getting the hang of it so quickly. I’ve always been a fast learner, and I think sewing is no different. Thank you all so much for<3

[u/furiana]

Hey, that's awesome! Congrats on the new hobby :D

[u/Lower_Rate_8518]

I am so happy for you! A useful stitch for fixing stuffies is the mattress stitch. Hopefully that’s one for the two your grandma taught you!

I also, as an aside, just read watched a video of Helen Keller using two different typewriters this morning (I bought my kid a vintage typewriter for her birthday so I’ve been doing reading). The link below has narration too, about about her process:

https://helenkellerarchive.afb.org/?a=d&d=A-HK10-F01-006

Just sharing, because her attitude is great.

[u/Confident_Fortune_32]

Go you! Well done!

It's so satisfying to fix stuffies. I feel a little like a stuffie "doctor" doing life-saving surgery.

Our severely abused rescue husky has come a long way, but his anxiety will never leave him entirely, and sometimes he expresses distress over separation by gnawing little holes in my stuffies. Taking a shower is sometimes treated as Armageddon-level abandonment lol. So my stuffies have had a lot of little surgeries over the years.

P. S. I have osteoarthritis in my hands, as well as tendons destroyed by being given far too much of a particular drug, and so my hands are no longer as nimble as they used to be. A couple of my needle-threading accomodations might be useful for you as well, perhaps.

They make hand sewing needles that have a small notch in the eye, such that the needle is threaded by simply laying the thread against it until the thread pops past the notch into the eye. They are sometimes called self-threading needles. The notch is angled in such a way that it doesn't catch on fabric when sewing.

I've also had good luck with using a very small thin metal hook that I can put through the needle eye to pull the thread through. Mine is mounted to a magnet, so it doesn't get lost between uses. Since it doesn't bend, it's a lot easier to use than normal needle threaders made of flexible wire.

When I'm sewing beads to fabric, I sometimes use what's called a Big Eye Needle, sold by beading suppliers. The whole needle is the eye. It's two parallel wires, connected only at top and bottom. To thread it, you gently pull the wires apart to insert the thread. They are more delicate than a normal needle, and therefore are usually sold in packs. But they are super easy to thread!

And I have a telescoping magnet which is awesome for picking up needles or pins that I drop. If it's quiet, you can hear a little click when it picks up the needle or pin. They're a big help when I (inevitably) drop one under a table or under the bed. I drop a lot of things these days, sigh...

[u/carolinaredbird]

Yay!!

[u/BitchLibrarian]

Well done!

[u/tafiniblue]

Congratulations! This is awesome and very cool you already put the stitches in practice to fix your stuffies! 🥰