In addition to light, magnification is another problem when we're stitching away from our usual nests. I don't know about you, but at this point in my life, I need not only light but a little extra size to make stitching pleasurable and accurate.
I have long been a fan of the around-your-neck-rest-on-your-chest magnifiers, but a friend recently put me onto another system, which is smaller and lighter to pack. About the size of a pocket comb and about that weight.
They are clip-on magnifying glasses which attach to your regular glasses. What I especially like is that the magnification part can flip up out of the way when not needed. (Yes, and the strange looks I get when the lenses are flipped up are fun, too!)
I have a pair of "distance" glasses so I can see the computer screen and my piano music, but I generally wear these all the time just so I can see other things, too. (Not for driving, of course.) I just put these clip-on treasures on those glasses.
I'm assuming they'd work just as well for bifocals. They just "boost" what is already in your prescription.
They're not easy to find, let me tell you, so don't bother calling your local optometrist or, even, ophthalmologist! My friend, Ann Marie (of "Lady of the Lake Designs"), steered me toward the Herrschner's Website.
The lenses are currently (August, 1999) $12.
Although the Website lists only one magnification--1.5+ diopters--(I suggested that they update this information to include all available diopters but don't know if they've done it. If not, here's the scoop on all the stock numbers:
Item # SW070269. Depending on the magnification you want, add one of these suffixes:
0001 for +1.5 diopter
0002 for +2.0
0003 for +2.5
0004 for +3.0
0005 for +4.0
If you don't know what magnification you need, pay a visit with your needlework to your local pharmacy or wherever over-the-counter reading glasses are sold. Try on several pairs. On the other hand, you may decide you just want to buy the reading glasses at the pharmacy! But these flip-ups are awfully cool!
For the US and Canada, there is a toll-free number: 1-800-713-1239. Outside the U.S. and Canada, the number is a toll call: 715-341-4554. These also should be in the catalogue.
copyright 1999, Martha Beth Lewis
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