It' is operated with one hand. That is a good thing going for the device. Time was when I hand sewed, I used a curved needle and a hemostat. It looked real natural for a bunch of L&D nurses. Outside of the department I got some strange looks. I was garment sewing at the time. I think on quilting, a curved needle would not be as good because of the angle. But Hey, if all of the stitches were consistent???