Making sewing more accessible for amputees.

The SewAble is a prosthesis designed by The Seam Team for transradial amputees, enabling them to enjoy sewing by providing a secure grip and pinch on fabric while being simple and practical to use.

About the prosthesis

Meet our Team

Trusted by

Secured 2nd Place in the Engineering MakerSpace Challenge at uOttawa.

In March 2025, we participated in the Université d’Ottawa Design Day, where we presented SewAble, a 3D-printed prosthetic we designed to help individuals with trans-radial amputations safely use sewing machines. Our project earned Second Place & a Special Mention in the uOttawa Richard L’Abbé Makerspace Challenge. Developed over four months, SewAble includes built-in safety features and interchangeable attachments for both machine and hand sewing.

Access our team's MakerRepo

The Design Challenge

Our client lost a hand in an accident, making it difficult to pursue hobbies like sewing, a craft he was known for in his community. He used to create beautiful clothing for members of his Church. This loss has been a deep personal struggle, which is why we were tasked with designing a product with a budget of $50 to restore his ability to grip and pinch fabric, allowing him to enjoy sewing again.

Our Values and DfX's

Accessibility

We want to create a product that enables the amputee community to participate in more activities.

Safety

We designed our product to be safe at all times, ensuring no risk of harm to the user.

Ease of use

We designed our product for a seamless, simple, and satisfying user experience.

SewAble

We've developed the SewAble, a prosthesis with interchangeable tool attachments. This system allows our client to easily swap between tools for different sewing tasks. The SewGrip helps grip and feed fabric, while the SewPinch assists in pinching and securing fabric. Once an attachment is inserted into the base, a pin locks it securely in place, ensuring safety and ease of use.

Base

A custom-fitted prosthesis designed to match our client’s arm measurements, featuring comfortable padding and an adjustable Velcro strap for a secure fit. It is designed for easy insertion of tool attachments at the bottom.

SewPinch

A tool attachment featuring an integrated clothespin that pinches fabric, helping to hold pieces together and move them easily.

Pinching the fabric

Pinning the fabric

SewGrip

A tool attachment that restores the ability to grip fabric, allowing our client to apply pressure to guide it through the sewing machine or hold it in place securely.

Hold down fabric while cutting

Apply pressure to fabric when ironing

Feed fabric though sewing machine

The Seam Team

We are a team of five aspiring engineers enrolled in the GNG2101 course at uOttawa. For the past three months, we have been collaborating on the sewing grip project with the Lifemark Clinic, aiming to truly solve our client’s problem and win Design Day Winter 2025 at the University of Ottawa.