from Independence without sight or
sound;
Suggestions for
practitioners working with deaf-blind adults
Instructions to Make a Mobility Muff
A “mobility muff” is a muff for two people to use to keep
their hands warm while using tactile communication. These instructions describe how to make a
lined muff with a cuff on each end. However,
you can sew, knit, or even buy a muff of any size, lined or unlined, with
elastic or Velcro instead of cuffs, or whatever you like, as long as it is big
enough for two people to move their hands around inside. This muff is just big enough for me to
fingerspell comfortably into someone else’s hand, but if you have large hands
or want more movement for signs, make it big enough for you to move around
inside it.
MATERIALS
·
Two pieces of
stretch fabric, such as stretch velour (one is for the muff and one is for the
lining)
o
each 14 inches long
by 18 inches wide (wider if you want more room to move inside)
o
The direction of
the stretch should be along the width
o
You can make the
muff from fabric that does not stretch if you make it larger.
·
Two pieces of
ribbed material, each 5 inches long by 6 inches wide (for the cuffs).
o
If the muff is
wider than 18 inches, the cuffs will need to be proportionately wider also.
INSTRUCTIONS
·
For each of the
four pieces, sew the sides together to make four separate tubes; press the
seams.
o
The tubes that
are the muff and lining will each be 14 inches long and about 9 inches wide
when flat (wider if you have cut material wider than 18 inches)
o
The tubes that will
make the cuffs will each be 5 inches long and about 3 inches wide (wider if you
have cut the cuffs wider than 6 inches).
·
To make the lined
muff:
o
turn one “muff tube” inside out (so the seam edges are
inside the tube).
o
put the other “muff tube” inside the first (the seam
edges should be sandwiched between the tubes).
·
To make the cuffs:
o
take one end of
each “cuff tube” and double it over until you have the two ends together
o
seam edges should be hidden inside the cuffs.
·
To assemble the mobility
muff:
o
pin one cuff
evenly around the outside of one end of the muff
§
the edges of the
muff and the cuff are together
§
you will have to stretch the cuff a LOT!
o
Sew the edge of
the cuff to the edge of the muff and turn the cuff right side out. Press the seam.
o
Do the same for
the other cuff.
You
should now have a muff with a cuff on each end. Enjoy!
(BONUS: you can use the mobility
muff to hold hands with your loved one in cold days too!)
Return to Orientation and Mobility for
Deaf-Blind People
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