DresiArnaz

My daughter is expressing some interest in sewing and quilting but she's a southpaw and I'm a lousy teacher!

Anybody have any tips or must have items for the left handed?

Thank you in advance. : )

Dresi

caspharm

Buy a rotary cutter that can be switched (if she buys a retractable), like an olfa or a fiskar. I prefer the Olfa Ergonomic ones myself. There is a new one that is out with a comfort handle, but the blade cannot be set up for a left handed person. Most scissors these days tend to be either hand.

I've noticed that quilting is less of an issue for me than knitting or crocheting (those are definitely more of a handedness issue). Most of our toys are not really left or right handed.

I forget which books by certain teachers include cutting directions for left handed people, but I have never really had an issue with any pattern as well it is well written.

I just bought a Panasonic Cordless iron, which is nice, since I always had an issue with irons and ironing boards that are definitely geared towards the right handed.

Hope these few ideas help and tell her welcome to the club. As far as teaching her, start simple and there are some good videos online these days. Missouri Star has some simple ones and there a great many others.

Sheilz

I'm left handed and manage with the same items as everyone else. We may look cack-handed but as with most things we develop our own techniques to manage everyday tasks. I'm sure your daughter will learn quilting from you just as she has with everything else you've taught her.

psychonurse

I prefer my left handed rotary cutter and scissors. I don't have to reverse the blade in the rotary cutter. they
are all made by ghinger.
I iron on the opposite side of my board. I never learned to knit or crochet.

Becky's Crafts

I'm left handed and use all the same tools as anyone else. The only difference I notice is that I am more comfortable cutting my fabrics with the excess to the right of the ruler as opposed to the left.

sewingsuz

I do the same as Becky's crafts. Bulk of my fabric is to the right. I have left handed scissors. I have trouble with the reverse button on my machine, I am always pressing the button oaf which is the reverse image. I am also always knocking thing on the left on the floor because that is where I sat the items when I was finished and then the items get covered up with fabric as I go on and I knock things on the floor. I am use to it but is does it does gets annoying.

franc36

I am left handed and have no problems with quilting. I do have my rotary cutter set to be used by lefties. I learned to cut with scissors in the dark ages before they had left handed scissors. I bought a couple of pairs of left handed scissors; but am more comfortable using regular scissors. The one thing that was a problem for me was threading my Featherweight; but I have no problem with it now. Jenny Dian is a left handed quilter. Your daughter could watch her videos.

ube quilting

I am a lefty and I remember all to well the times a crayon or pencil was grabbed from my left hand and corrected. It has never stopped me from doing anything I wanted to do. I don't see a problem. How you get things done doesn't nearly matter as much as just doing it. I taught myself to quilt, use power tools, ride a bike and even eat with proper utensils, all while being left handed. Please don't treat it as if it were a disease. She will figure out her way as we all do, lefties and righties alike.

quilts4charity

I'm also a lefty and it hasn't hindered me from learning to sew at a very young age, didn't quilt til a few years ago but manage very well, like Caspharm ironing was always an issue as it seemed the cords are always in the way, but I try to buy ones with it in the middle now, I think most are made that way now. She'll do well, just let her do what's comfortable to her....

Cari-in-Oly

I'm so left handed I'm sometimes in reverse, lol. Along with everyone else's comments, I'll add that the only other thing I can think of is that I pin from the left, so my pins are on the left side of the foot when I'm sewing. Your DD will work out her own ways of doing things, just like all the rest of us do.

Cari