Hi everybody,

I am looking for suggestions on things that a former quilter can do. She has lost most of her sight and is very down. I have taught her how to use the Go Baby for applique blocks and to do coloring blocks (I copy patterns to cotton blocks so she can color) and have her tie my Charilty Quilts. I need some other things that she can do as she wants to continue quilting so bad. Please put your thinking caps on.

She can hand quilt, using tape or other "dimensional" line guides. She can also hand piece with some layout help -- it would probably take no time at all for her to get comfortable with the 1/4" seam allowance and the way pieces fit together.

Ohhhh boy do I know this one! My dearest friend had macular degeneration, I was running her to the eye dr. about every other week for her eyes. She had already lost her central vision in her left eye. But she kept on keeping on. She won first place in the last quilt show she participated in! AND couldn't see! Now if that wasn't awesome. But that was Betty! We were very lucky tho because she could still make things out so I really don't have any suggestions to you. Just being her friend is meaning a lot to her right now.

Since she can still see some, would she be able to sew with a seam guide on a machine so she could guide the fabric by feel? I also know of a blind quilter who does beautiful had stitching to piece her quilt tops.

She could also do "shadow" quilting, staying 1/4" inside or outside a seam line.

Here is a link to a video of a quilter who is blind. She does fantastic work. I hope your friend will not give up.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lfaSmDxVZQ

There was a blind quilter who did amazing work. It would be cool if you could talk to her. Also can she go to a school for the blind ? My sister-in-law went to one and learned how to do such things as using a table saw and making something out of wood, making and serving a 7 course meal for about 25 people. They also work with them to help them do whatever job they do. And just so you know she never cut wood when she could see and cooking a 7 course meal would be difficult even if you can see.

OMG my friends name is Betty and she is suffering from MD also!! So many have given me ideas to work on with her and I know she will be open to them. This is very hard for her as she was a beautiful sewer. I am printing all of these out for her to "LOOK" at.

One way to help her keep piecing, if only the simplest blocks, is to find appropriate fabric in two different colors that have enough texture for her to be able to distinguish them by feel. A very smoothly finished cotton with a coarser or rougher feeling second color.

She might sew yo-yo circles or hexagons with help cutting.

I was thinking of yo-yos as well...