A friend's young daughter (10yrs old) was paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident recently. We'll be going down to visit soon and I'd like to make something special for her to help her adapt to the wheelchair. Has anyone got any sewing ideas of what would be helpful?
By Toodles
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Unfortunately the best wheel chair accessories are made of sheepskin, already made for wheelchairs. How about a hobo bag to hold things she'd like to keep nearby and can hang off the chair. If you have any needlework skills, why not teach her those.
Oh, my Lord, the poor little thing! :(
When I was in a wheelchair, one thing I found handy was a bag that was wide enough to stretch across the wheelchair handles, yet wouldn't get in the way of the person pushing me.
You could also perhaps make some sort of pockets to hang on either side of the chair, where she could store necessities. Find out her favorite colors and her style, so they're age-appropriate and cheerful.
Something not sewing-related that might help--if she's on the computer, get her some new games or software programs she might enjoy. There's a lot of freeware out there, or you could buy second-hand discs from the thrift store (just make sure that, whatever you get, it's compatible with her computer system).
Thanks for trying to make her days a little brighter.
You can google the topic. Every now and then I find a website, when I am looking for other things, that will have printable patterns for making bags to attach to the side arms of wheel chairs, and other things. I have also noticed that the companies that make sewing patterns have craft patterns that include a lot of neat helpful items.
We have a friend who is wheel chair bound with CP. Last Christmas I crocheted (although you could sew one just as easily) a lapghan for him. Since he's a paraplegic and can't lean over to pick things up if they fall off his lap, I attached strings on all 4 corners.
His care-taker ties the top 2 to the back bars of his chair, and the bottom 2 to the leg bars. This not only keeps it from falling off his lap, but also keeps it from getting caught up in the wheels. He loves it! I also made him a matching hat and scarf to go with it. His care-taker (my sister-in-law) told me he was thrilled with it.
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