Funny Bone Syndrome: It's a real thing

When I was a kid and teenager, I crocheted all the time. Blankets, rags, potholders, whatever I felt like. Mostly blankets. One time when I was 17 I fell in love with this one blanket pattern and I got so caught up in it I crocheted two blankets in the same day. 14 hours of non-stop crocheting and listening to the soundtrack from The Lord of the Rings (#1). Two blankets in the same day! I felt so accomplished and crafty. It felt amazing!

Then, the next day, I noticed something strange. Holding my toothbrush was excruciating. My hands had the strength of a paper doll. At first I wasn't worried. I played drums in percussion ensemble at school, typed a lot on the yearbook staff, I was learning sign language and I'd just kicked that crochet blanket pattern's booty in a single day. Maybe my hands really were just tired.

But it didn't go away. For two weeks I ignored the numbing in my pinkies and ring fingers. Sometimes they got so numb I couldn't even feel them. Then the aching came; this was the tipping point. I could hardly do anything without first consciously asking myself whether it was worth the pain of flexing my hands.

Friends, this is called two things: overdoing it and severe tendonitis. By the time I got to physical therapy for treatment the scar tissue around my ulnar nerves ("funny bones") was so bad it sounded like crackling paper when touched.

Don't let this happen to you.

That was ten years ago. I still suffer from numbness and tingling sometimes. When tendonitis of this nature happens so frequently it is medically referred to as Ulnar Nerve Entrapment, also called "Funny Bone Syndrome".

My message: pace yourself. Educate yourself. Learn the risks of overuse and listen to your body when it tells you to slow down. If it's happening to you now, get treatment! I had to give up crochet because I didn't know my limits. If it someday means I have to give up sewing too...I don't know what could possibly take it's place.

Don't let it happen to you.

Got a cautionary tale of your own? I'd love to hear about it. Please comment below.

5 Things Darth Vader Said About Sewing

Who knew that phrases like, "The Force is strong with this one," and, "So, you have a twin sister..." could relate to sewing? In this article they do! Let a Sith Lord inspire your inner seamstress. Here are five things Darth Vader said and how they could help you find your inner seamstress.

#1: "The emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation."

Years ago I tried scrapbooking. An almost endless supply of papers, stickers, and various embellishments were actually at my fingertips. I had one-on-one, daily access to the mind of whom I consider to be a world class scrapbooker. And yet after weeks of cutting and sticking and embellishing I looked at my scrimpy album full of bad pictures and impersonal sayings, held up my hands and declared that hell for me would be to do it again.

I admire those who have the patience and skill to scrapbook in ways I was unable to achieve. But my allegiance lies with creating useful things with my sewing machine. 

Is there a seamstress in there trying to get out? Find someone or someones who already have the passion and pick their brains. Learn what they know. Make something that brings you happiness. And if you don't succeed, just know that it's not from lack of creativity. Maybe sewing just isn't your thing. But how will you ever know that unless you try?

#2: "So, you have a twin sister..." 

Involve your family and friends. One great way to make gift-giving more meaningful is to make them something they might like. Searching for potential projects for a specific purpose can reveal new possibilities.

#3: "The Force is strong with this one." 

Confidence shows. The more you practice and learn, the more satisfied you'll be with your results. People notice that and so will you.

#4: "I find your lack of faith disturbing." 

So you're latest project ripped through all the seams. So you unpicked the same stitches for the third time in fifteen minutes. No one can be perfect all the time. My mom's Mother's Day present this year suffered a horrific and gory death by buttonhole in the eleventh hour and I had to come up with something else. Don't give up.

#5: "Who do I have to convince around here that my cape is just too @&%# long?" 

I realize he never spoke these words but how could the evil ruler of an Empire be taken seriously without a well-fitted, intimidating ensemble? For all we know he inherited the thing from the guy/machine who lived before him. 

If you're not savvy enough to create something from scratch (yet!), look for opportunities to improve on things you already have. Got an old skirt in your closet you just don't love anymore? Convert it to something more appealing by adding (or removing?) ruffles, or do something drastic by changing it into a purse. 

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Sewing can be scary. That machine is loud. Sharp needles and pins are involved. But I hope you feel empowered to try anew. #notajedimindtrick

Need some encouragement? Comment below or send me an email so we can talk about it!

Use Those Scraps: Treat Yourself!

Parks and Recreation is my favorite show. I've seen the episodes enough times that I don't have to watch them anymore, I listen. At my house we call those "sewing shows"--shows I can "watch" without looking away while sewing.


Parks and Recreation - Treat. Yo. Self

This week's post is about treating yourself--using those extra scraps and using your stash to make something new and satisfying. (New to what and satisfying to whom? Well, you!) I used my curtains. Our new house has 9-foot ceilings and big open spaces--a big change from our 700-foot condo where we used to live. Tall ceilings required tall curtains, so we visited one of our favorite places in the whole world (IKEA!) and found some extra long linens. Almost a year later I finally got around to trimming off the extra 11 inches and finishing the look. That left me with four long strips of 11-inch wide linen fabric just sitting in my stash. I used a little here and there for some diaper cases and a little for wrapping gifts but I still had three whole strips left.

Enter gray chevron tote bag.

At Joann I scored a sweet gray chevron fabric at a super cheap price. If it were jersey knit I would probably have turned them into fingerless gloves. :) I found a soft purple pillow case I'd been saving and paired the two fabrics together into a simple, one-of-a-kind tote. A buyer wanted 5! I dug through my stash to see if I could find a comparable and remembered that linen!

Shazaam! I kind of like it more with the cream than purple. One can never have too many scraps. Maybe I'll put curtains on my kitchen window after all...

#TreatYoSelf