Low vision
 

I've lost sight in one eye and I started quilting. I am having challenges in cutting and free motion quilting. Is there anyone out there that can give me strategies to deal with my issues? I have used a lot of charm squares and jelly rolls but I want to expand my skills.

Is there someone who could cut for you? It sounds like it would be dangerous for you to try to cut using one your one eye.

A thought on the quilting, although I say this and I haven't done it! What if you put some type of a pattern on your quilt and then traced it with your machine to quilt. I'm thinking that because it seems like you can sew the pieces together. So maybe a pattern instead of free motion would be easier once you practiced it.

Would extra light help for quilting?

I have LED strip lighting on my machines and it makes a big difference. I originally bought it at a specialty store for quilting but then I found it much cheaper at a surplus/hardware store.

Watson

gingerd, not on topic but I have to say how much I admire your avatar!

I quilt with one eye that sees 90% on good days. Have not used a LA at all and I do not drive anymore. It has not stopped me from quilting, cooking or reading, so I think I am blessed by doing what I can do. I would say "Go for it" use the best lighting you can get put in to help you. Natural light is always the best, large windows and sky lights. LED lights, or white LED 100 watts makes things look brighter, too. There is a notable blind quilter, see if I can find her site and list it for you.

theamazingquilter.com/ check out her page and see if anything would help you out there. I cannot judge depths, or line up things square all the time. Constantly spilling things I pour into glasses or dishes. Then I turn things around by remembering things I can do, not that I cannot do. Positive thinking is the best way to attempt things.

I suggest investing in an Accuquilt Go!:
https://www.accuquilt.com/fabric-cut...cutter-aq.html
or an Accuquilt Go! Big:
https://www.accuquilt.com/fabric-cut...ic-cutter.html

Of the two, I think it is worth the extra money to get the Go! Big. Of the posts I have seen, everyone who has the electric Go! loves it, including those who started with the regular Go! Also, there are some dies for the Go! Big that are too large for the manual Go!.

As for the dies, start out by purchasing those you would use most frequently. Many people like to cut strips with the strip dies. The only thing about that is you need to be able to see well enough to place the fold of the fabric accurately on the die. I do not have vision loss, but I personally prefer to cut strips using my June Tailor Shape Cut mat. If you have not tried cutting strips with a June Tailor mat or a Stripology mat, you should try those out first before investing in the Accuquilt strip dies.

The Accuquilt is invaluable for cutting odd shapes and triangles. For a beginner, you might want to consider the Churn Dash die which allows you to cut all of the pieces for a 9" Churn Dash block:
https://www.accuquilt.com/go-churn-dash-9-finished.html
You would still need to cut sashing strips if you want to sash the blocks.

Regarding free motion quilting, I assume you are working on a domestic machine? Many people like fastening a string of LED lights under the arm of their machine to give more intense lighting. You need other good lighting as well.

Frankly speaking, many people struggle with FMQ even without vision loss. One of the best things you can do for yourself, to make it easier, is to lift the bulk of the quilt off your sewing machine table. Elevating the quilt relieves your shoulders of a lot of stress and allows you to move the quilt more easily. Leah Day uses ceiling hooks and elastic to elevate her quilts. Many people construct their own frames out of PVC, similar to this commercially available frame (no longer available):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJGph8am6BE

Thank you! I made that quilt for a very good friend of mine who retired a couple of years ago. He loves it!

I can relate to this and possibly help. I have lost about 70% vision in my right eye and 25% in my left eye due to glaucoma. In addition to this, due to extensive chemo, my hands shake like a rattle snake's tail. So the natural thing to do at 76 is to take up quilting. Needless to say I had bit of difficulty. Many a time I sat there shaking my head, and asking myself "what were you thinking". But not one to give up easily, here are some things I got to help combat my problems:

1. This cutting ruler by June Taylor.
https://www.amazon.com/June-Tailor-2...+slotted+ruler

2. These stickers to put at the slots where I needed to stick my rotary in the cut the correct size.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3. And laugh if you must..... these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

To combat my hand shaking, I bought a 1/4" foot with a lip. This one:
4. https://www.amazon.com/Distinctive-Q...rds=1%2F4+foot

Then to insure accuracy on my seams, I purchased something like this and continued ant 1/4" line down the side of my machine. It sticks up about an 1/8 " to insure the fabric stays put.
5. https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-4013-2...ided+foam+tape

Also, for when you must use other rulers, and you don't want them to slide on you, I found these to work best. A bit pricey, but I have tried others, and I feel
these work best. https://www.amazon.com/Guidelines4qu...grips+quilting

For FMQ, I would probably stick to straight or curvy lines with the use of painter's tape to guide you and keep you straight.

As other's have mentioned, an Accuquilt would also work well for cutting. And you thought this hobby would be cheep! :(

I bought a used accuquilt Studio for cutting. It was expensive, even used, and the dies are pricey, too. But I get good cuts of fabric for quilting.

My reasons for getting the accuquilt was the fibromyalgia pain. what a difference it makes for me!