Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Oh Say, Can You See?

The other day after I showed off my new glasses, my friend Mary told me I should write a post about how a quilter knows when she needs new glasses. It's a fair point.

Before I developed arthritis in my dominant hand, I used to do finely detailed pencil drawings, specifically portraits. To do that, I needed to SEE and to SEE I needed good glasses, so I had plenty of motivation to ask my optometrist if I could get a custom pair of bifocals so I could see what I was drawing without tilting my head up and down. Ordinary bifocals didn't allow me to do that.

"Of course" he said, "Just measure how far away something is you want to see and we'll go from there."

Now anybody with bifocals knows how expensive they are, but let's face it, if you need to SEE to work, then why would you avoid the expense? It's like any other tool you need to do your job. The best tools are worth the cost.

My new glasses (above) are "average" bifocals. Good for driving and not so close work. They're fine when I am working on my laptop when it is on the table, but not so good when the laptop is in my lap. For that I use my "quilting glasses," below.

these are my "quilting" glasses.
My quilting glasses are designed for middle distance, and close distance. They are good to see anything out to the ends of my arms. They are great for sewing and for teaching. I can't see long distance with them, so I can't drive with them, and they are actually better for reading than my "normal" bifocals. They are great for hand sewing.  And yes, when I got them I figured out just how far I sat from my sewing machine, just how far away my cutting and ironing tables were when I worked, and brought those measurements to my optometrist, and we talked about what I needed. (Essentially that was where the "line" dividing one distance from the other would be on the lenses.) I guess they're more like the bottom two areas of trifocals. Thing is, they are worth every penny I paid for them.

So if you are struggling to SEE with your glasses, it's worth your while to find something that works. A lot of people ask why I don't buy the inexpensive "cheaters" you find at grocery stores. Fact is, they don't work for me. I need more than one prescription, I need two. And besides, I think "cheaters" are (for the most part) ugly as sin.

I'm always amazed at what folks will put up with. Most of us ladies are familiar with how uncomfortable an ill-fitting bra can be, but how many of us just buy them off the shelf instead of going someplace to get properly fitted? (Not me, I found a great bra place and I am a believer.) I'm always surprised that women put up with making quilts on dining room tables in rooms with poor lighting, and cheap sewing machines, and wobbly ironing boards designed for ironing clothes, not quilts, yet their husbands have table saws, snowblowers and riding lawnmowers.

And about lighting...

A couple of years ago I bought a small Ott Lite to use when I hand sew the binding on my quilts. Glasses are one thing, but good lighting is another thing that will make your life a LOT easier. One of the things I adore about Quilted Threads, my all time favorite quilt shop, is that the lighting is bright daylight, not ordinary fluorescent. When I moved into the house I live in now, the first thing I did was bring myself to the hardware store to buy daylight bulbs to replace every single bulb and lamp. What a difference. (Although I do have to install spots in my studio for my design wall. I hope that's a project I can do before the end of this year.)

So, all my quilting pals... Can you see?

9 comments:

Nancy J said...

Yes I can see.My eyes are so different in their focus length that I cannot have bifocals now. My distance glasses are photochromic, to guard the freckle in one eye. My reading glasses are for reading , quilting, and I can also use them with my laptop. My thinking is, we have one pair of eyes for a lifetime, they cannot be replaced, treat with care, and get the best frames and proper lenses,that you can afford, and go without something else if necessary. Love your new frames!!!

Pat said...

Great post and very helpful. I've been thinking lately that I need to do something about my glasses. Mine are breathtakingly expensive (at least that's the reaction I get from friends when they find out what I pay) but I'm getting to the point where I think I need more. My glasses are already progressive and transition and I love them but I just need a little more help with the close work.

Mary Ellen said...

I guess I am lucky being so nearsighted. Close up work is a breeze without any glasses or contacts. I mean really close up work - handwork really. For everything else I need glasses or contacts. I read once that for every decade after fifty we need an additional light source. The new LEDs may help with that. I recently found a new optometrist and have never seen better or more comfortably. Great post.

Quiltdivajulie said...

Excellent thoughts well worth sharing. Computer glasses for desk- bound computer workers are another often overlooked necessity as is adding your own daylight-bulb task lamps on an office desk to counteract the harsh and usully inadequate office flourescent overheads. Ask me how I know ...

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

I started buying trifocals glasses years ago. I bore some jokes, but really they have been great. I usually know it's time for a new script when I have to adjust my head to see at the right distance.

Now I am having an issue because I am developing a cataract. Each day's vision is different. Surgery is definitely in my future.

This post was interesting at this present time. I don't buy many things for myself except just the other day I was justifying some recent purchases by thinking about how many cordless drills my husband has and how every single wired tool was replaced with cordless when they became available. I recently found a new Ott light was necessary, and a food processor after I scraped by thumb on a grater AND a two front wheel wheelbarrow. I am reasonable in my purchases, but I have decided if I need it and can afford it I will buy it. Several months ago I got a Visa that gives me Amazon rewards for Amazon purchases, gas purchases and restaurant purchases and probably more that I can't remember. That wheelbarrow I bought was free.

xx, Carol

The Selvage Fairy said...

You're absolutely right about how much we put up with. On a good day, when my back doesn't hurt, I'm 5' 1". I have a friend who is 6' 8". I don't think we could comfortably share a pencil. The right tools increases efficiency, and that's good for everyone.

Linda said...

I, too have approached an age where... I had cataract surgery x2 - 1 eye close and 1 eye far. Great for life stuff. I needed help for sewing. I took 2 sizes of xstitch, applique, reading, and measured the distance for the 1/4" seam allowance on the sewing machine. I took myself to $Tree. I took time and tried different strengths. I took the appropriate size glasses (each in a different color!) and went home.DO NOT REMOVE TAGS YET. I made sure I had a project bag for each of my categories. I attached an el cheapo key tag with strength size and project type to each bag, put the appropriate project in the bag and off I go - to the Dr office, church. Hardees, car, etc. I still have the mind to work stuff out!! Life is good - God is good.

Linda said...

PS. There are tiny "flashlights that attach to the leg of your glasses, Foster Grant has them built in the leg of the frame, and you can find tine ones that you put on your finger. I have gotten mine at quilt shows and on line.

Ann said...

Great post. My quilting has been much easier since I bought a pair of glasses specifically for that. It is amazing what women will put up with.