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SingaporeI like to sew minis... problem is with sewing the nose. I use my left thumb and fingers to hold the little head, while using right hand to sew. The right hand is OK 'cos I use pliers when it gets difficult to sink the needle. The problem is with the left thumb as I still have to hold the head tightly.
Anyone has the same experience? Any ideas on what you do that help prevent thumb damage???
I don't know what you properly call these ..but you can buy leather (or similar )finger protector things which you wear on your finger or thumb to cover a bandage etc....would something like that work?
You can also get leather thimbles....don't ask me where though I have never bought one...I must have tough fingers. The only thing I get is sore wrists sometimes from stuffing...but never so bad I can't work.
Jenny
Matilda Huggington-beareThe best source for help is at patchwork quilter sites and or shops. They will help with everything needed for finger protection.:cool:
Posts: 8,574Are you talking about strain in the joint-down where the phalanges join at the bottom- the part that gives us the opposable thumb thing and supossedly makes us superior ? ( 
)
If this is what you are talking about the stores have these tight fingerless elastic glove things that hold things in place and support your tendons etc. You find them in the ACE WRAP section. I have one in just about every room and swear by them. My doc said the alternative would be cortisone shots in the joint.....no thank you.
If you are talking about poking yourself there are tons of things available but I can never make them fit right so I took an old pair of flexable leather gloves and cut off the corresponding finger and use this as a sheath when I need to- works really well, and golly it stays on!
If neither of these is what you mean then, Gollygeehiz Twiated Whiskers I'm sorry-give us more clues :D
Dilu
Wild Thyme OriginalsI prick myself constantly!!!!! Generally in the same couple of spots... if you sew enough you'll eventually develop a "nice" little callous there and the the problem ceases to exist! That's my experience at least! :(
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Country BearsYeah me too, in fact I started bleeding all over a very pale cream bear I was creating this morning - ooops!!!! I think it's all part of making bears though:D The leather thimbles may help.
Bears-a-Bruin!Kim and Clare, I know exactly what you mean! You should see my fingers at the moment :lol:. Or maybe not...they are not a pretty sight. I have to do careful editing on the photos of my minis, because when my hands are in shot I don't want to show the world the pin cushions on my finger tips......
I have seen some tiny round pads (thimble pads?) that might help. Anything more like a thimble, leather or not, is not an option for me. I need to feel the fabric to work on the little ones.
Posts: 27I love the discussion of "Bear Injuries"! I have actually suffered "tennis elbow" from all the tension on my left elbow while holding tighyly to things. At the moment, I am suffering from pain in my left inside wrist joint. Doc Hubby (yeah, MD) says this is a "repetitave stress injury" and I won't get better without Ibuprofin or Naprosin and NOT working on bears. NOT AN OPTION!!!!!!!!!!! I do find a wrist brace works or an ace bandage wrapped around the palm and wrist but they are hot and get smelly after a day or two of sweat. Geez, should I have said that????????????? Probably not.:P
Suffering also from too much honesty!
BethBear
Posts: 8,574Beth try the elastic half glove made for the hand-the fingers are open- they don't get nearly as hot or smelly. YUCK but I know what you mean. Some of them have a velcro strap that wraps around the wrist. It really helps support the tendons/ligaments, so I can go an extra hour or so....They are in the ACE wrap section of the drugstore.
When I do minis, I find a mini vise sometimes helps- and Beth I bet you have ready accsess to all kinds of forcepts- that can help too- I steal from my nursing bag al the time. 
What good is it to be married to a doc if you can't play with his really nifty toys.
I'm with Kim on the callus thing....its the best protection. And best of all I don't misplace it!
The best callous I have is on the side of my middle finger.....odd, but it is where I always hit and it doesn't get in the way of anything give me a good callous any day......except that it can interfer with the piano. so its a toss up....I don't perform anymore so I'll take the callous and not have as much control on the keyboard but more control in the sewing......:lol:
Also take a break and stretch your hand muscles out the opposite way, sounds silly and "Duh" but it really helps. Also I find hot water helps- I got one of those parfin hot wax thingys....and yeah it feels really good but you can't DO anything when your hands are wrapped up in hot wax. So I sit and fidgit and get antsy and pull the whole thing off.
HEY TWISTED WHISKERS!!! Did any of us answer your question?
Dillylu
Kiprie BearsHi Twisted Whiskers !
Welcome to Teddy Taｌk♪:D
I don't make mini bear but my left hands(thumb and wrist) always hurt when I'm working on bear
for long time and without taking breaks........ I do stretch for my hands, arms, shoulder(as Dilu said )
for every hour and that will preventing me from getting too much hurt.....
I hope your left thumb pain stop soon.
Bear Hugs/Marie
Matilda Huggington-beareI LOVE THAT MONIKER OF YOURS: TWISTED WHISKERS. Brilliant, wish I had thought of it.:lol:I use a clear plastic sticky disc type thing on one of my fingers. Which ever one gets that really painful bleeding hole because it wont take anymore needle pushing.They are called.....THIMBLE-IT you get 64 dots per pack. I've only used half of my pack so far. Had them for two years.Absolutely brilliant for sewing minis. I sourced them from a patchwork quilting table at a fair. The address on the back says...Sailor Corp. of America Fayettville. GA 30214 They market them as a ...Self-Adhesive Finger Pad.
Because I have this weird thing happening to my wrist and elbow, when My hand goes into it's spasm I pop on my KENKOTHERM wrist wrap. Honest this thing is really good. I get at least another hour or two by wearing it. Otherwise it would be up to aweek before I could go back to sewing.I swear by it. And as Dilu said giving your hands and wrists a facial is wonderful too.!!!:)
Baird'sBears
All great ideas . . . thanks everyone!
It's well worth looking after our hands and wrists.
Mine are totally functional (so far) but such a mess 
, what with gardening, woodwork, paint-stripping and puncture wounds from needles, not to mention advancing age, that if I ever have to photograph a bear in a hand, the hand won't be mine . . . I think I'll recruit one of my daughters! :lol:
Eileen
SingaporeThanks for all your help! The pain is actually the joint part.... will look out for the tight fingerless elastic glove things...
guess the alternative would be to make clay noses. seems to be quite popular these days. except that I wonder how long they would last. Will they get moulded?
found my avartar on the web... thought it was super cute and downloaded it. found a lot of other cute doggies pictures too. I love dogs and thanks to Lisa Pay's patterns, had picked up a skill or too in dog design and making.
Posts: 27I have laughed about this incident many times. I guess we all have short nails, pin holes, caluses, even iron burns if you make clothes or use fusible on foot pads. anyway, I was at a small show and a lady came up to my table. She looked at all the bears and then she looked at me. She asked, "Do you make these bears?". I said yes and then she said that she would like to see my hands. She looked my hands very carefully then smiled and said, "Yup, you make them alright!".
Back Road BearsTAKE CARE OF YOUR HANDS!!! My orthopedic doctor smiled and said the best treatment for my hand problems (tendonitis, trigger fingers, carpal tunnel) was to stop sewing. He smiled cause he knew there was no was I was going to stop!
Let me tell you.... cortisone shots anywhere HURT! I've had them in the finger, wrist and shoulder.... finger is the worst but I understand getting them in the thumb is just as awful.
Get those gloves Dilu mentioned. They help a lot! Also stretch every 45 minutes.... from head to toe... keeps those muscles loose and limber and prevents fatigue and also stretch those hand/arm tendons back out! I ice my hands when I'm done bear making for the day. Just ten minutes. Helps relieve any inflamation and thus long term problems. Yeah, you are thinking "If you do all that, why do you have problems?" I do it now because I do have problems and wasn't smart enough to take some of these preventative measures before hand!
Take care of those hands!
Daphne
Posts: 8,574Great story Beth! Thanks :D:D
Donna's Duin BruinsMy Dr. recommends that I put my hands over my head every fifteen to twenty minutes and shake and wiggle all fingers, wrists everything while sewing. He wants me doing wall pushups and pushups that you do every time you walk through a doorway. It does help but what helps the most is my ARNICA gel and oil.
Donna
Back Road BearsI tried it, Donna, but it didn't seem to help tendon problems though it helps my arm muscles.
It also helps with those nasty face 'blemmishes' associated with PMS! Yup, cuts their life expectancy real short! :lol:
I'm so glad it helps your hands!:D
