2019-08-11 12:36:21

Hello, fellow humans,
So, I recently became interested in using a sewing machine to see how they worked, and although the one I purchased is pretty basic, I actually used a trick that an independent living skills instructor at the commission for the blind showed me, because we were labelling some of my clothes. You may or may not have seen these, but if you have or had braces, chances are, you've probably seen a floss threader. The brand is GUM, and the name is EezThru. I bought a pack of three, each having twenty-five. It is a thin wire that doesn't bend easily, and as such, it is easier to slip it into the eye of the needle. Once you've poked it through, you take your thread and pull it through the loop, then finish pulling the floss threader. Ever since I got this, I've showed other people how easy it is to do, and a lot of them definitely agreed it was a great idea.
I assume some people have taken home economics in middle or high school, which has a semester of cooking, and another of sewing. I personally think home ec is just a cover-up term for independent living skills for daily life.
So, if you use a machine, what tips and tricks have you discovered that works for you?

Ulysses, KJ7ERC
She/they
Reedsy

2019-08-11 18:43:28

I felt like an idjit when I got placed in home ec. I did hand sewing in 7th grade, but in the 8th grade year, I switched schools. Their program was a bit different. I had no idea how the thing worked. It was threaded, but I couldn't get it to run. I flipped every switch, and turned every knob on it. I then checked to see if it was plugged in, which it was. I remember my foot moving forwards and I hear it kick on then stop again. I felt around, and oy, there is a foot pedal. I never liked messing with it, so had to get my TVI to come in and help with it, I couldn't really get the hang of it, I wasn't motivated though.

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2019-08-12 00:55:13

In my middle school, home ec was an elective, so I never got to take it, although I wish I had. I guess their concern was ignorance-based, as well as liability, because they wanted me to have an one-on-one assistant at all times, and I guess they couldn't find one.
It's a shame, because if there were more blind people, we could've turned it into  a Daily Living Skills class which would be mandatory.

Ulysses, KJ7ERC
She/they
Reedsy

2019-08-12 02:30:38

I had no interest in it.

Facts with Tom MacDonald, Adam Calhoun, and Dax
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2019-08-12 20:40:35

Well back in intermediate I did do soeing.
Of course I had a sightling actually do it for me.
Now for those adventurous there are kneedle guides.
Back then, it was my view that the blind will never be able to soe because we can't, we after all are blind and its visual.
Back then, there was 1 machine a jinomey or however its spelt that ran with a lot of cardboard cards.
The students were not allowed to use it as it was to advanced, but when I asked I was proudly told that with programmable punch cards it could run itself.
Then it was just a marvel, but, with all the advances, and the tech, I suspect that if that was the start, and with sd tech as it is now, you could probably connect your machine to a computer.
Now, you would still need to thread it and guide things I guess, but if you could access it you could program it.
I could imagine soeing on my tablet or my keyboard or something.
Things are changing.
If the blind can use touch to some extent along with keyboards, haptics and voice, and in an age where everything has a usb port, network connection, wireless/bluetooth and other sd support we can access more things from other things.
An example is the printer I have at home.
I have a brother printer at home and an hp cloud printer at another location.
Both the interfaces are inaccessible and all the devices are not directly usable.
However while I do need sightling help to connect to the net and confirm cloudprint registration, I am perfectly able to control it, replace ink, run repair and tuning tasks and update the printer with ease from its internal web server which is its interface rendered in java like the router interfaces.
In the case with my hp and brother, I don't even have to set it up via the device at all.
If its in range once installed, it will directly connect with the device and set itself up if on wireless including transfering all the wireless information including logons over and have you set everything with their online account which can be a bit hit and miss but it can be done.
If its on the network I can set it up myself to.
The only time this falls down is if power dropps or I need to restart the router in which case, I turn off all the devices in sequence, then turn them all on.
The fact that a lot more stuff is accessible gives me hope.
Even if its not accessible itself it only needs to be accessible enough so that other devices can connect with it.
The next thing coming about from friends that seem to know a lot is that our washing machines/driers now all touch will be speakable, and connectable to tablets/computers.
So I can actually do my drying/washing of clothes, or dishes or something while living my life.
And if it jamms instead of having to go down and find a mess on the floor or something, the thing will probably yell at my closest device.
If that can be done, all machines will be able to be connected to.
That means any mainstream machine need not be accessible at all itself as long as we can use something that is then that will be fine.
The issue with spaciffic machines built for us is that the tech jacks up the prices.
But if we can interface with normal machines, all we will have to buy is software to interface and   probably if we are allowed or can buy interface access can write programs ourselves which could mean we will be the ones making the cash and thats a good thing rather than all those huge blind access tech companies that have a monopoly because no one is able to compete or match them right now.

2019-08-14 04:22:04

In my high school I used a sewing machine to make a big pink fluffy pillow. The material was stretchy and fluffy, so we kept having to re-aline it. They have had embrordary machines that can sew the designs by themselves for years now. My mom's friend had 1 maybe over 10 years ago. I've noticed that the newer sewing machines that my mom uses have touch screens and different menus and such, so if I wanted to buy one of my own, I think I would want a more basic 1 so that I have better control of it for now.
I remember using a small metal piece with a thin wire to thread the needle. I don't have one of those currently, so I have a fun time of hand-threading every time I need to mend something. Thankfully the needle  I got when we were making little notebooks in one of my graduate classes has a big eye on it that I can feel more easily. My thread is also very thick and probably very ugly looking too. lol