I am going to have bunion surgery tomorrow morning. I used to be a runner and need significant reconstructive work on my foot. I will have to keep my foot elevated and won't be able to sit at my machine sooooooo I will be hand piecing and doing some redwork. Has anyone even used their machine without using their foot pedal?

When I took a Martha Pullen's class and had to do miles of pintucks, she said that when her sciatica bothered her, she'd tuck the foot contol under her tush & drive that way. It really wasn't hard to get used to it.
So, maybe if you could sit at a table.So, you could elevate your foot underneath,& you could sit at your machine.Good luck !

You could use your other foot , if you can get your bad foot elevated on a chair . good luck on your surgery.

Put the peddle on the table and use your hand. I have a hand crank so it wouldn't be much different expect you would go much faster.

Godd luck with your surgery.

good luck with your surgery!

and i have never used the foot pedal on either of mine..

janome 6600/janome gem platinum

I used to kneel at a table and use my knee sometimes.
My newest machine doesn't use a presser foot- made by Juki.
Good luck on your surgery!

I never use my foot petal. I just push the buttom. Have a brother innov-1200

Good luck tomorrow! I had surgery on both feet for bunions and hammertoes ( they were lovely lol) and I'm SO GLAD I did!!! My feet look and act like real feet now LOL
No advice for sewing though. I think I did hand work if I remember correctly. But others gave you some good advice :)

Good luck on your surgery. I use a Kenmore now which has a foot pedal. My Necchi, though, has a knee pedal.

Because my right foot gives me much trouble at times and frequently swells, I have gotten quite used to propping it up and using the left foot on the pedal!

Wish you a speedy recovery. You will be so glad to have had this done...I was! I used my left foot without trouble and then got use to stop/start button.

All last summer I had to use my left foot at first it was hard but soon it was almost as good as my right foot! Good luck with your surgery, prayers for a quick recovery>

Praying for you for a speedy recovery. I use my left foot at times.

I use my elbow on the table on the foot feed so I have my hands free. It works.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Can you use your other foot or have a knee peddle. I'm sure you will be creative and come up with something, your a quilter, we can always come up with ways to make things work! :lol:
God bless you and I hope your surgery goes well and you have a quick recovery. You will be in our prayers!

I had bunion surgery years ago and it was one of the best decisions of my life. I had been wearing slippers even at work b/c the pain was so bad. My foot was in a cast up to my knee. I read a lot of books! Hope your surgery goes well!

I had a new puppy several years ago that liked to chew the cord on the foot pedal. I put it under my arm and used it that way.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Good luck with your surgery. I have bunions that are un-surged. Hope it works out well for you.

My Janome 6600 has a start button that the salesperson used thruout my demonstration. I bought the machine, and have never used the foot pedal. Love the button- it works for me!

You have some great ideas here and I am sure you will find one of them is the best method for you. I also use a start button on my Janome. Best wishes for a successful surgery and speedy recovery. ((Hugs))

I never use my foot pedal. Always the on/off button. I'm a former runner too, but have not had bunions...yet. My problem is degenerative disk disease. But I still miss running and I guess I always will. Can you put a chair or stool under your sewing table to elevate your foot so your foot and still sew? Just a thought.

I learned to sew using my righthand for the foot pedal (I had more control that way than using my foot!) and my left hand to guide fabric. You could do it this way, I think---

Prayaers for a good surgery and hope that you can sew.

Place your foot pedal up on the table and run it by hand. Good luck on the surgery. I hear bunions are so very painful.

We'll be praying for a swift recovery! You'll probably find out just how creative you can be while recuperating.

I had the same surgery just 3 weeks ago so I'm still healing. Like you, I thought I would do some applique and try to get interested in handwork. However, I spent most of the time on this message board! It was so much more fun than applique and handwork for me!

After about ten days I decided to try to use the sewing machine. You will have a stiff velcro shoe to wear whenever you are up to go to the restroom. I was able to push the pedal of the machine using that shoe. You can't do it for long because after awhile you will need to put your foot up again.

Now that I'm in the "boot" which is a big heavy thing, it's a little trickier, but I'm still managing. Once you get the balance of how much pressure and where to put your foot on the pedal it's much easier.

Good luck! PM me if you have any questions on the foot thing and sewing!

Lots of great recommendations; good luck with your surgery. Hope you are back at your machine in no time!

This will sound stupid, but I sew with my machine on the floor - have for many yrs now, it doesnt hurt my back like bending over a machine on a table. I usually run the foot pedal with my knee, sometimes with one hand, sometimes I sit on one leg or the other and run the pedal with an extended foot. sharet

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Had a bunionectomy & removal of a Morton's neuroma (tumor) under foot several years ago - just did hand work & cross stitch & reading during recovery. I found it cumbersome to try & use pedal with my hand; hadn't thought of putting it under my rear! LOL

Hope all goes well!!!!

My 4 year old granddaughter sews with me and she uses her hand to push the pedal.
A fast recovery from your surgery.

Thoughts and prayers.

I just had neck surgery 3 weeks ago and just had to quit sewing for a couple of weeks. But I'm back at it now, but taking it slow, so I don't aggravate my neck or shoulders. But hopefully it won't belong before you can get back to quilting!! Best of luck on your surgery!!

Hope you have a speedy recovery!!!

I had a friend who was a parapalegic and he put the petal on the table and used his elbow.