Crafting for lefties

Recently, I've been wondering whether or not Buddy might actually be left-handed so after some research I've been quietly observing which hand he uses for which tasks. It's also given me a lot to think about what it's like to be left-handed in a right-handed world.

Last night while I was doing some sewing, it occurred to me that all of my sewing tools were made for right-handed people. Maybe I'm just unobservant, but I don't recall seeing left and right-handed sewing scissors or rotary cutters at the sewing store. And aren't all sewing machines made for right-handed use?

There's also an unresolved debate on whether or not left-handed people are more creative than right-handed people. Which makes me wonder are there a lot of left-handed crafters out there? How do you deal with sewing and other crafting? Do you have a hard time finding sewing and other crafting tools? Are you forced to sew, crochet and knit using right-handed methods?

Comments

[Andrea]

I'm a leftie and so was my kindergarten teacher. One of the very first things she tought me was to cut with right handed scissors "because you can NEVER find left handed scissors when you need them."

I switch hands back and forth with a rotary cutter - It never occured to me that it might actually be for right handed person. Maybe I've been doing it wrong all this time!

[Karen in Wichita]

My rotary cutter is plainly a leftie model because I'm always using it backwards (I'm a rightie).

Never mind that it is bilaterally symmetrical.

[Corinne]

I'm a lefty too!
I think you just get used to learning how to make things work. I have pairs of lefty scissors, and some brands you can use in either hand.
But I am so used to doing certain things w/ my right hand now, that like a lefty sewing machine would throw me off! Lefthanded mouse on the computer totally confuses me!
It comes in handy too! I cannot purl, so I knit on my left and right instead!

[Michelle]

I'm not a leftie, nor is my husband, but Rebecca seems to be (is it genetic?). My rotary cutter (Fiskar's) can be taken apart and re-put together for either right- or left-handed use. So, have you come to any conclusions about Buddy?

[Ruth]

I'm a lefty too.

I taught myself to crochet left handed and just had to adjust the patterns accordingly. But when it came time to knit I learned it better right handed, I think because I carry my yarn in my right hand, the same as when I crochet left handed.

It does bug me how so much of the world is made right handed, even down to simple things like the pictures on coffee mugs (pick it up with your left hand and see the blank side, not the picture), but you learn to deal with it. I don't think I notice it that much anymore.

[Danielle]

My husband is a lefty, and so is his mom. She knits right-handed, though, as that is how she was taught many moons ago. My husband, being of a younger and perhaps more enlightened generation, learned to do everything "lefty" and has a hard time with certain "righty" tools, but not others. He loves lefty notebooks, and prefers lefthanded scissors (but can use right handed ones when needed).

[A.J.]

I'm a lefty. I don't knit or crochet. My rotary cutter can go either way.

Does Buddy play sports with his right hand? I do, so I think I can use either one for crafting.

[Lori]

I'm a lefty. No one else in my family is left handed. My mom decided I was left handed when she noticed I reached for things with my left hand. I learned to cut right handed because I was too impatient to wait for the left handed scissors my grandmother ordered for me (I still have them though). I adapted, as I have with many things designed for right handers. Since I do many things right handed out of necessity I think it makes me better coordinated.

I knit left handed, European style and completely mirror image of right handed. I think it's forced me to really understand how stitches are formed rather than just imitating someone.

I sew a lot and never found any trouble with using a sewing machine, rotary cutters, or any other sewing tools come to think of it.

I've also used woodworking tools without much problem either.

The only time my left handedness has been an issue is with sports. Softball, archery, tennis, ice skating (jumps and spins) either require different equipment and/or I'm opposite of everyone else.

As far as creativity, I of course would like to think we lefties are a creative and smart lot. But in all honesty, I've never encountered so many left handed people as I have in my current place of employment - working with particle physicists at a linear accelerator center.

[marianne]

I'm a lefty for writing and eating but more of an ambi or righty for everything else. sewing, knitting, using scissors, and playing guitar right handed is no problem; I don't even think about it. I think when I was in first grade I had a pair of lefty scissors, but I didn't like them.
my brother is also a lefty, but neither of our parents are. one grandmother is, though, so perhaps that would explain it, if it's genetic.
I like to think that lefties are more creative or gifted in some ways than righties, and lists of famous lefties seem to support that...but then, who makes lists of famous righties?

[Kat]

I'm not a lefty, but my brother is. I don't ever remember him having problems growing up with scissors or any other instrument. He seemed to adapt well. He can even play the ukulele (although I do not know if that is really harder as a left handed person).

Being left handed might be genetic because I have an older cousin, also a male, who is left handed.

Back to my brother, as for being more creative, it depends in what way. I remember he was really into building with legos when he was young. He's really good at fixing mechanical devices and loves tinkering with his car. I"m not sure if this counts as creativity, but it might be a different way of thinking or problem solving.

[Gina]

Try this with buddy, use a penny bank if you have one or make your own, cutting an hole just big enough for the coin. Give him a few in his right hand to put it, then give him a few coins in his left hand to put in the bank. The hand that is easier for him to use, will probably be the hand he is. We did this with our son, and it proved very effective. Now days a lot of the kids scissors are for leftys & righties.

[Bronwen]

HOw old is he?
My children ALL of them have displayed left hand tendencies then changed to right hand as they got older.
Me? Well I do certain things left handed and others right.

[kirsty]

I'm a righty for writing and a lefty or bothy for just about everything else EXCEPT scissors. I couldn't cut my way out of a wet paperbag with my right hand. When buying lefty scissors be VERY careful. Some brands just put lefty handles on righty blades (even some expensive brands) but you need LEFTY BLADES TOO or they don't work (if you are supersonically lefty!)

[keri]

I'm a lefty for writing, sewing and cutting and righty for snowboarding and throwing and kicking. I have great lefthanded scissors and left handed notebooks that really help for school.

[Sarah B]

I am a lefty (and do everything left handed) and have not had a problem with craft supplies until I wanted to knit lace. Though someone suggested I learn continental style because I can not switch to knitting right handed.

On my OLFA rotary cutter, you can switch the blade to the other side, so that isn't a problem. Finding lefty scissors isn't that hard either. I never thought about a left handed sewing machine, and I used mine (I guess a righty model) everyday.

I haven't found my being left handed has impacted my crafting or even athletics as someone else mentioned. I love being left handed and wouldn't change it!

[Kat]

Sitting in college lectures sucks because I have to twist over to my right side to write with my left hand. It makes my back hurt, my arm dangle and my wrist tired. :)

But we cope! I hear we also... die sooner, lol.

[crafty champloo]

I'm a lefty! I special ordered my left-handed Ginghers about 10 years ago and it's all I use. But I do a lot of things the right-handed way - sewing machine, mouse, etc. but I don't crochet or knit unfortunately :)

[nichola]

i'm a lefty too. I don't really think much about it, i use all right handed things but with my left hand. I do find knitting a challenge sometimes with certain patterns but mostly i just knit the opposite was round.
I'd like to think that us lefty's are more creative but who knows! ;-)
Oh, and noone in my close family are left handed, although i have a cousin and aunt who are.

[Laura]

I'm a lefty. One thought I had when I was reading through all of these comments was that I consider my left-handedness strangly important to me. I feel very connected to being a lefty - I am really happy I am one. I'm not sure why that is. Do other lefties feel that way? Are there any right-handers who feel that way about being right-handed?

I think growing up a lefty has made me pretty adaptable. I do use a right handed sissors and sewing machine (I didn't know that they even made lefty models).

When I was first learning to write in school, I remember being confused as we were learning how to hold the pencil correctly - my only instructions (as the only lefty in the class) were to do it backwards. I think constantly having to "reverse" things on my own really developed certain spatial abilities.

I have never experienced any issues with sewing. My mom was my sewing teacher - she is right handed. If it felt awkward, I just tried it a different way.
I couldn't learn how to crochet from her for some reason, although when I did learn it was from my sister who is also right handed.

The only thing I find consistenly awkward is situations where I need to sign something like signing for a charge card at a store. They always have the pens tied down in a way that is awkward for lefties, or the person is so used to handing a receipt/pen to a righty that you do an awkward little grab.

Right now my son is showing a preference for his left hand, it will be interesting to see how that plays out.

[michal]

my very crafty grandmother is a leftie, and i think she was using left handed scissors, but regular a lot of other things. she was a seamstress and a very busy one, so she probably adapted to a lot. a lot of domestic things she did have switched around, like the fridge door. it's actually interesting t think about in retrospect, because when i recently learned to knit, i realized that the reason why i failed when she taught me, was because i'm very rightie and she knits leftie. as a matter of fact, i'm way too rightie, my left doesn't do much. it has improved since i started knitting/sewing, but i'm still working on it. and here's the interesting point - turnes out i learned most of my crafting skills from lefties. also, i went to art school, and we had a way out of normal number of lefties. and this list of comments too. interesting, ah?

[joyce]

i'm a lefty! i bought lefty cutting scissors but it felt weird and now i can't return them. i had to learn to crochet w/ my right had b/c the teacher didn't know how to teach left handers...i think that's why i like knitting better. sewing is okay for me though...

[amy purple]

I'm left-handed, but I really only eat and write with my left hand. Everything else, I do with my right hand.

[justJENN]

I believe that the most creative people are left handed. I am right handed.

[AmyDe]

"Are you forced to sew, [etc] with right handed tools?" The answer my friend is a resounding YES! Most times left handed tools are not available, and when they are they usually don't work very wel. I make do though. I have always cut right handed. I do crochet left handed, but it rarely presents a problem - makes pattern reading interesting, but...

I find that being left handed makes me more creative not in a project or artistic sense, but often in a problem solving sense - I come at most things from a different direction so I must adapt and it's pretty fun.

In regard to some of the comments left earlier - any teacher that can't teach you to crochet left handed just doesn't want to. I teach crochet and am left handed - MOST of my students are right handed and we have NO trouble.

I too LOVE being left handed - it's really special to me. Both of my children are lefties too and it kind of drives my hubby batty. I find signing for something akward sometimes too. I just make most anything do and don't change too much around me to "suit" handedness although I did switch the blade on my rotary cutter to the other side (mostly for safety).

This has been interesting - thanks!

[~ bridgette ~]

I'm a lefty! I actually only eat, brush my teeth and write with my left hand. I can't use left handed scissors to save my life. I don't know how to knit or crochet. My mom said that she didn't know how to teach me to crochet because of my lefthandedness but recently she saw me embroidering with my right hand and it totally surprised her. Maybe if she had tried, I would have been able to do it right handed.
I didn't have too much trouble in school except that the desks always attached on the right so I had to sit/write at a weird angle and I still hate spiral notebooks and binders with their left-bound rings. I wish I had some left-handed notebooks.