Recently I have been introduced to the joys of velcro. It all started when was browsing in the fabric department of Wal-Mart when I met a friendly and very chatty lady (Lisa.) We were both looking at the same fabric – the panel kind that you can use to make pillows and she started up a conversation about how she was going to use liquid adhesive and velcro to make the pillows instead of sewing with thread.
She was wearing wrist braces on both of her hands, and I asked her how she could do any crafting work if her hands were in braces! She told me about how she recently was injured in a traffic accident and injured both of her thumbs and wrists. Can you even imagine how hard it would be to go through life without being able to use your thumbs without a lot of pain?
She explained that the wrist braces help to minimize the pain, and that she tries to pace herself so that she can get a little bit done every day. For her not to be doing anything would drive her crazy. I can certainly empathize with that – to not be able to do anything with your hands at all would be heartbreaking to any crafter!
She also told me that her sister was kind enough to help modify many of the clothes that she has to wear. She put circular pieces of velcro behind the buttons on several of her shirts, and thin strips of velcro inside the flap of her slacks. Doing these minor modifications have made it easier for her to dress herself, and it helped her to realize just how versatile velcro can be!
When I got home that day I started to think about the ways that using velcro could make life easier. I went online to look up some tips and ideas about using velcro, and even learned a lot about history of velcro. I think it is a fascinating invention!
There have been numerous times in my life when I could have used hook and loop fasteners when no other option would work. Those “stick-on” hooks that you are supposed to be able to use to hang pictures on the wall have NEVER worked well for me – the adhesive would dry out after a couple of months and then the picture would crash onto the floor, shattered glass flying everywhere. I think that I could use long strips of industrial strength hook and loop tape to mount the pictures on the walls and they would stay exactly where they were supposed to stay until I want to remove them.
I could use the industrial strength hook and loop fasteners to mount under-cabinet lighting in my kitchen. I could use it to mount GPS systems or radar detectors in my car. A great crafting idea would be to fasten items in the shadow boxes that I create from time to time as gifts for friends and relatives.
I think that I will stock bulk velcro and fasteners in my crafting studio storage cabinet, along with my duct tape and sewing supplies. I love having all of those things at my immediate disposal the moment creativity inspires me to start a new crafting project – it makes it so easy to jump right in and get it done.
Meet our guest author
Jenna is a freelance blogger who is most often writing about finance and savings, especially for families. In her spare time Jenna is usually reading, riding her bike, or working on some whacky DIY project! You can read more finance writing by Jenna at paidtwice.com
*image source: Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious via flickr cc
About the Author
Hey,
Sorry to hear about your friend who went through that terrible accident. Hopefully over time the pain will subside and she will be able to live without the braces. I am also a fellow craftee who deals with wrist pain on a daily basis. I have found that the best braces that help me to get through the day our on braceability.com and can be found on the wrist braces page!
Keep up the good work on your blog and good luck with the crafts!