quiltmouse

I read an article about a one armed quilter years ago. Many of her tips were described. This may be her.

Thesinglehandedlife.blogspot.com

(I'm on a tablet, no link. Sorry)

kat13

When I had my stroke it was a blessing since I had a brain aneurism
That was discovered..while waiting I
On my platelets to get the right count for surgery they sent me to rehab..my left side was affected so they worked on exercise of that side.. Simple things like taking beads out of a glob of putty climbing stairs and walking,
I went home before I was able to have surgery so I had home healthcare so many people teaching me basic stuff..
I realized with my sewing, I would have to re-learn what I didn't use, I'm still not there but little by little I'm able to make quilts and small projects!
Still have to learn my EQ-7 all over..
It's been 4 years and I've made much progress! Just don't stop trying is my best advice!! You lose it if you don't use it!!

Rose_P

I have little to add to this thread except that I often wish I could tell everyone who has had a stroke and all their loved ones that my sister-in-law's wonderful mother had a stroke at age 80 that hampered her speech and left one side of her body severely impaired. She managed to live a full life for another 18 years after that. At first it is so devastating that people may want to give up. They need all the encouragement they can get. With speech therapy that dear lady regained her ability to communicate quite well. Who would have even thought that much recovery would be possible that late in life! One of her granddaughters was inspired to get a masters degree in speech therapy because of her.

Yes, there will be frustrations, but any effort to get back into her creative lifestyle will be well worth it. Thank you, Eimay, for pursuing this for her. I hope something works well. At first the effort will be to get her just to be able to do the most basic things, but being able to feed, dress and bathe herself will not alone provide a satisfying life, so finding a way to do something she loves is absolutely necessary. If actual sewing is too frustrating at first, perhaps she could type up some quilting tutorials or a memory album about her hobby, or she could look for inspiration in quilt books and perhaps sort her fabric stash for some future project. Maybe there's a UFO she never got around to that someone else can complete under her direction. Maybe there's a loved one or neighbor who would enjoy being her quilting partner, able to organize her stuff where she can get at it from a different perspective. My sewing room as is would not accommodate a walker or wheelchair, or even someone unsteady on her feet, and I'll bet most of us would be in that same situation. Not only that, but maybe hers is upstairs or in a basement. For this quilter, there may be a whole lot to do to get from point A to point B, now that there's this sudden change, but I sure hope there's support to get her back as far as possible.

ArlaJo

My DD had a stroke at 40. She's now 50 (this month) and has relearned to sew and piece. She has had to learn to do everything left handed but she has done it. She even longarms, but need help putting the quilt on the frame. She amazes me with the things she does. She NEVER says I can't do that. She just does it.

Mary Rita T

Thank you for taking the time to post this encouraging message. The creative aspect of quilting brings much joy. Small projects with a quilting partner could help restore quality of life.

2manyhobbies

Our son lost the ability to use his right arm for the most part due to serious illness, not a stroke. He does amazing things anyway. I’d sure like to contact Nola and ask her about her bicycle. She must be able to brake using only her left hand. I’ve been encouraging our son to get back to bike riding. Inspirational story for sure, and her quilts are amazing. Our son has been building a guitar.

eimay

Thank you for so many suggestions and so much encouragement. I'll focus on what you have said and give it a go. Thank you all!

blesscal

I don't know if this is still active, however, my mom suffered a stroke a few years ago and has not regained the use of her dominant side and is trying to get back into sewing / quilting, but is quite frustrated and discouraged. If you have any tips, sites to visit, ideas, etc. I would be most grateful if you'd be willing to share them. Thank you.

1CharmShort

another inspiring video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyyninpp1ls

edit: I just realized this is a new post on an old string..
welcome to the board, blesscal

I'm sorry to hear about your mom.
I hope you are able to get some encouragement and good tips from these posts and others that come after.

1CharmShort

https://thesinglehandedlife.blogspot.com/