Are There Sewing Machines for People Who Can Use Only One Arm?

Question by Big Dog: Are there sewing machines for people who can use only one arm?
My wife had a stroke and only has the use of one arm. She used to love to sew but now feels she cannot. She has no use of left arm and limited use of one leg

Best answer:

Answer by Kiwi is my bird-o
For most sewing projects on a standard machine, you do not need the use of both arms. I haven’t ever really thought about it before, but I very very rarely use more than 1 hand when feeding fabric through the machine. If her dominate arm was damaged by the stroke, it may take some re-adjustment to use her non dominate arm, but I bet if she puts her mind to it, she can do it :-). She may also want to invest in a roller foot for the machine, which will feed through most fabrics (except for stretch and delicates) much easier than a standard presser foot. Extra feet for sewing machines won’t cost more than $ 20, and are often half that price. It’s not like it’ll be a expensive proposition. She can also re-train her working leg to use the foot pedal. Since pinning, basting, and threading the machine or needles would probably be terribly difficult with only one arm (perhaps she could learn), maybe you can learn to do those things to help her out a little (all are very simple to do). I’m sure she would be very grateful if her husband was willing to help her out on stuff like that so she could continue to enjoy her hobby.

Answer by wardrobebycj
Where there’s a will to figure out how to do things in a new reality, humans are remarkably resourceful. Some sewing machines have a go/stop button near the needle and can be used without a foot pedal. I know some Brother models have this feature. As for pinning and such I’ll just bet she will figure it out. Best wishes to both of you!

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