I am so excited about this! Ever since I started designing and selling sewing patterns I’ve been so pleased with how well my business fits into my health needs. When I have a good day, I work on patterns. When I experience a flare (aka get crazy sick), I can curl up in bed while my patterns sell themselves online. (hooray for automated PDF sales!) I am just so pleased to have found a way to do design without any clients pushing deadlines or expectations.
Still, with a chronic illness, even good days aren’t so great. I never feel healthy, just less sick. My poor little heart just has a hard time keeping up with me when I’m upright, whether that be in a chair or on my feet. So while the sewing business itself was a good fit for my health, the sewing part had to be reserved for my especially good days. And even then I only lasted about an hour or so until I had to get horizontal again.
So you see, finding a way to using a sewing machine in bed was kind of a big deal to me. I’ve been planning this system out in my head for years (I was hung up on the whole pedal placement issue for a while…). I am seriously so excited to be trying it out in real life.
Sure, it looks completely ridiculous. Yes, it does take up an entire bedroom out of our 2 bedroom apartment. And you know what, I couldn’t be happier! Because of this baby I got to sew almost every day this week. Life is looking pretty good from where I’m standing lying!
Oh jess it does look complicated but I’m so glad your getting to sew, I know how much I love it and I’m sure you feel the same way, I would however recommend and start button push machine, the one I have has a go button instead of a pedal (stops little people playing with it) and it’s so easy to use, took me a few days to get used to it though 😉
Hope this works well for you sweetie 🙂 xx
Michelle- I didn’t even know that those start buttons existed! I am so excited to look into one- that sounds like a great option. Thanks for telling me about it!
Hello!
I want you to know that your blog is a huge inspiration to me. I am disabled, and I am often too tired and weak to sew. I love your plushie designs. I love making plush, but I haven’t made any in awhile. What an awesome set up you have! I think I will try something similar.
Thank you so much for commenting! It’s so easy to feel like I’m the only one in the world whose personal problems include figuring out how to sit up long enough to accomplish something each day (or something similar). I hope you find a set up that helps you create more- it always feels so good to win a small victory over a disability!
I wanted to add my 2 cents and say that I am inspired by you as well. I have chronic Lyme/CFS, etc. and the way you described your illness is exactly me – it has to be a really good (rare) day to sew and even then for only an hour. I am SO happy for you that you have discovered something you can still do! I love your set up so much. My bed and beside are filled with books and notebooks, etc. so I totally relate to doing everything in bed, but never thought I could sew there. Ingenious! 🙂
Thanks Natalie! I can definitely relate to a bedside full of notebooks and book. Sometimes I feel like everything I own is in a pile within arms reach of my bed 🙂
Thanks so much for this inspiration. Been trying to figure out how to quilt from bed for a while! Standing up for too long just tires me out (Possible CFS following Covid unfortunately)
I’m glad to offer a bit of inspiration! I hate that it is needed though. I hope you feel some relief soon. The Long Covid cases popping up have been breaking me heart.