Help.................. I'm left handed in a right handed world trying to quilt
#81
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Eastern Washington
Posts: 29,519
I am a lefty too! The only one in my family. When I was little, they called me a spitfire, cuz I did things my way, and still do! My writing is better with my left hand, I use rotary cutter in either hand, iron with either. Mostly just do it in which hand is better for the moment!
Love the Elvis mug rug!
Love the Elvis mug rug!
#85
I've done a couple of things where it's actually an advantage to be left-handed. With fencing, playing a leftie is entirely different. It tends to throw right-handed players, because they don't play lefties often, but the left-handed players play right-handed people all the time so they're used to it and have the advantage. When two lefties play one another, they're equally disadvantaged. I only did fencing for about a year when I was eleven, though, we all dropped out due to a dodgy fencing teacher.
Then I took up percussion, and it's definitely advantageous to be left-handed there as well. Right-handed people have a very dominant right hand because they use it for everything, and when you first learn to use drum sticks you'll find that your right hand is bobbing up about twice as high as your left hand, so that you get a much louder sound when you hit the drum with your right hand, and you have to work very hard to get them even. If you're left-handed, you're used to using your right hand for quite a lot as it's a pretty right-handed world, so the strength of your hands is far more balanced.
Anyway, I'm right-handed myself, but I do have a quilt book which gives clear instructions with photos for lefties. Check out the Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Quilting, which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/069...cm_rdp_product, but do check the critical reviews (you can spot mine, it's been voted the most helpful critical one) as there are a few serious flaws with this book. Once you know what they are, it's a pretty useful book, it covers a lot, and the leftie stuff is quite unusual, I believe.
Then I took up percussion, and it's definitely advantageous to be left-handed there as well. Right-handed people have a very dominant right hand because they use it for everything, and when you first learn to use drum sticks you'll find that your right hand is bobbing up about twice as high as your left hand, so that you get a much louder sound when you hit the drum with your right hand, and you have to work very hard to get them even. If you're left-handed, you're used to using your right hand for quite a lot as it's a pretty right-handed world, so the strength of your hands is far more balanced.
Anyway, I'm right-handed myself, but I do have a quilt book which gives clear instructions with photos for lefties. Check out the Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Quilting, which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/069...cm_rdp_product, but do check the critical reviews (you can spot mine, it's been voted the most helpful critical one) as there are a few serious flaws with this book. Once you know what they are, it's a pretty useful book, it covers a lot, and the leftie stuff is quite unusual, I believe.
#87
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 1,389
Originally Posted by S D G
I am also a lefty, I don't see that it has caused me any more difficulty than any other person. Both of my parents and my brother are righties, both of my children are lefties. I wouldn't be me if I were anyother way.
And when the 'ergonomic' rotary cutters first came out ... they were all right handed.
And trying to start a blanket stich by looking at a picture in the book ... spazz-attack!
I was blessed to find a crochet dictionary with left handed pictures and instructions in the back so I had no problem with that but never mastered knitting. Yes, I know, you knit both ways but I could never quite get the hang of it.
However, being a left-handed quilt instructor was very handy (pardon the pun) when it came to instructing students. They would stand in front of the table and I would be behind when I taught them to rotary cut. Worked like a charm!
#88
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 160
I think it is fine as is. Just tell them it was for symmetry, so the small picture was facing the main picture.
As for being lefty, it has not caused me problems quilting, only when I was trying to teach 2 of my daughters things like hemming, hand stitch and Xstitching. I always start from the opposite direction. Daughter # 3 is also left handed so no problem.
My dear FIL philosophy about being left hand was that everyone is born left handed. You only become right handed when you make a mistake, so left handed people have not made a mistake. Guess which hand he used.
As for being lefty, it has not caused me problems quilting, only when I was trying to teach 2 of my daughters things like hemming, hand stitch and Xstitching. I always start from the opposite direction. Daughter # 3 is also left handed so no problem.
My dear FIL philosophy about being left hand was that everyone is born left handed. You only become right handed when you make a mistake, so left handed people have not made a mistake. Guess which hand he used.
#89
Handicapped? Absolutely not! We lefties are very adept at adapting! We have left handed scissors, our rotary cutters have ambedextrous blades and we can count, so who cares if the cutting mat is backward? We still turn out some gorgeous quilts!
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