Skip to main content

OT crossbody

by Linda Theil


Who knew that a beautifully designed cross-body bag could be important occupational-therapy equipment for anyone with only one functional arm!

When my cousin broke her arm and reached out for suggestions about how to navigate daily life with only one hand, the first thing I found on the Internet was advice to use a cross-body bag instead of a handbag, allowing your body to act as carrier and stabilizer instead of a nonfunctional hand/arm. What a great idea!

The advice seems obvious since the main benefit of a cross-body bag is to allow  hands free while shopping, but it never occurred to me that a cross-body bag could be invaluable to anyone with limited use or mobility of one arm. That's a lot of people!

Diane Spencer Ogg's "Amplector" cross-body pattern is perfect for this use. She designed the bag specifically to be small, light, unobtrusive, and super-comfortable to wear. 

Now that I know how useful they can be, I think cross-body bags should be standard issue to everyone with a broken arm. I made sure my cousin would have one!

I made this Spencer Ogg "Amplector" pattern, 9 x 6-inch cross-body bag with front-pocket and zip closure with fabrics from the "Tea with Bea" collection by Katherine Lenius for Riley Blake. 

"Amplector" rear view

UPDATE: August 1, 2021

Ghastly Spencer Ogg "Amplector" large size, 11 x 8-inches, in "a ghastlie family reunion" from The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection, 2011

(front above, back below)


UPDATE: January 1, 2022


Small Spencer-Ogg "Amplector" pouch in "Nordic Noel" by Jim Shore for Benartex, with black #5 zipper and self-strap.



Resources

"Perfect travel pouch" AppletonDance post
https://appletondance.blogspot.com/2021/06/perfect-travel-pouch.html#.YPxCjJNKhIY

Spencer Ogg "The Amplector Pack PDF Sewing Pattern"
https://www.spencerogg.com/product/the-amplector-pack-pdf-sewing-pattern/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Notes on Purl Soho Cross-back Apron pattern

Purl Soho Cross-back Apron, regular sized,  front view Purl Soho Cross-back Apron, regular sized,   back view by Linda Theil This is the Purl Soho Cross-back Apron featured on their website at  https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2015/11/20/cross-back-apron . Their page includes complete directions for making this one-size-fits-most apron with large, side-pockets and cross-back straps. This retro apron is so nicely made and looks so much like the apron my grandma wore in the Nineteen-fifties that I had to make one for my friend who appreciates the nostalgia and the beauty of this design. Although this apron pattern, as published, can adjust to several sizes from 2-10; I also made a larger option, adjusting the width of the pattern pieces to accommodate up to size 16 and up. Size adjustment may also be made by varying the length of the straps. These notes are a record of my experience with the pattern, and should only be viewed as commentary; y
13 comments
Read more

Holiday weekender

  by Linda Theil Alisa's always cleaning house and often asking me if I want some item I'd given her before she sent it to a new home. I couldn't refuse the holiday-print, round table cloth I had bordered in red pom-poms forty years ago, even though she had slit the cloth to the center so that she could use it as a tree skirt. I decided I would make a holiday-getaway bag from the salvageable remnant. The olive-drab faux waxed canvas I ordered on sale looked really great with the old print. I used Diane Spencer-Ogg's outstanding "Escape Pod Travel Collection" patterns. Pictured below: The holiday themed “Weekend Bag” and "Travel Clutch" in olive-drab faux waxed-duck canvas from Sally Tomato , vintage holiday print exterior and interior, and accents of Mora bordeaux faux leather from Emmaline Bags . Pattern and video tutorial "Escape Pod Travel Collection: Weekend Bag and Travel Clutch" by Diane Spencer-Ogg. Weekend Bag front Weekend Bag bac
Post a Comment
Read more

Sujata Shah's no-template piecing

16-inch, four-patch "pinwheel" block designed by Sujata Shah, pieced by Linda Theil 2016 Fabrics:  Sturbridge line by Kathy Schmitz for Moda and Daily Zen line by Michael D'Amore for Benartex. I attended quilt artist Sujata Shah's "Pinwheel" class sponsored by the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild  at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor  on July 17, 2016. Shah is inspired by the work of Gee's Bend quilters and has developed a no-template method of piecing to emulate their unstructured designs. Shah's book, Cultural Fusion Quilts , is available at Amazon.com.  Shah's uses four 11-inch squares to make each block, but she said a quilter could use any size base they choose. Since I had a package of precut 10-inch squares in the "Sturbridge" design by Kathy Schmitz for Moda, I based my block on that size. We were instructed to bring a variety of backgrounds in one color and brights in another color. Since I signed up late for
2 comments
Read more