Tuesday, September 2, 2008

An Unfilled Market: Calling all Crafters

Well, part of the reason my posting has been kind of sporadic lately is because while I was off meeting these guys I had an unfortunate run-in with a very surly tick. After much running around in circles and much consulting of a wide range of medical professionals, I got outfitted with a picc line- a permanent IV type thing, which if you are curious about, you can see here, so as to better pump me full of antibiotics for a month or so. Finally, my dreams of being the bionic woman have been realized.

But, here's where the crafty sorts are needed. Tons of people have these things (for Lyme like me, or chemo, or whatever), and let me tell you, they are not pretty. You can cover it up with an ace bandage, or some other similarly orthopedic looking thing, but you know, where's the fun in that? Personally, I have arrived at a system heavily reliant on ridiculous socks from Rite Aid which I chop up and throw on my elbow, as you can see here:


And don't let yourself be fooled into thinking I'd be happy with only one model... here are the rest of them:


Here's the thing though. Socks are not really ideal for this purpose- they have to be really long to be the right size, the heel is perfect for the bend of your elbow except that its really not always in the right location, and once you've cut them up, there isn't really any elastic at the top to grab your arm so they kind of roll down.

This is where the crafty fabricy people should be interested. I looked all over etsy, and no one makes anything to cover these things. No one! There are people selling every completely random thing you can possibly imagine (and there is even medical stuff! hats for chemo, stethoscope covers, scrubs, cute med alert bracelets etc, etc). There's totally a market for this, you just might have to look- but all kinds of people have them (kids, adults, old people, everyone) and some people have them for a year! or more! These people are on the internet, too, there are message boards all over the place. Someone should make covers. Ideally it would have elastic at the top and bottom and be sort of stretchy, be washable, and be in a wide variety of colors, patterns, etc.

As a side note, this has also led me to search for "elbow warmers" on etsy, and given the vast range of body parts people have decided it is trendy to put warmers on, the elbow has been woefully neglected. I'm hoping that if I don't get anything else out of this experience, at least maybe I can start some kind of trend, here.

As Tim Gunn would say, come on people, make it work!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I never would've thought! Good idea though.

Kristin said...

Heck yeah!!!!! That is a phenomonal idea...You need to "Make it work"!! And you already know that you will need to market it to that "niche" of people that will need it..or not because.... Who wants a cold elbow in the winter months? Not me!! Do it! Good Luck!!

Unknown said...

what a great idea!!!!!

Leah said...

An idea born out of nesessity!! Brilliant!

Barbra said...

Great idea! Your bookshelf mirrors mine!!!

yellowfish said...

ooh, thanks for all the enthusiasm! I have no skills whatsoever in anything related to sewing, so everyone else should go forth and mass produce elbow-warmers...

Crystal Card said...

Great idea.
If I could knit, I'd make them..

Anonymous said...

Firstly, I hope your treatment is quick, successful, and uneventful. Take good care of you! =)

Secondly, thank you for bringing this need to the Etsy community's attention. I'll have to work on a design. I myself have some chronic medical problems and while so far I have not needed any such specialized equipment, I do understand the frustration that comes with some treatment techniques and devices.

Unknown said...

Good ideas for knitters!

HomeMadeOriginals said...

These could definitely be knitted or made from recycled sweater (sleeves). I've made armwarmers that way.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

RanaMuck said...

These would be nice to cover up psoriasis on elbows too.

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