To pay my bills and support my fabric addiction, I am a physical therapist and tomorrow I'm giving my first class (well more of an informal discussion) tomorrow @ 10AM. I'll be discussing posture and quilting at my local quilt shop, Granny's Sewing Den. I hope it goes OK!
So here are a few of my tips to protect your body and help you to enjoy a lifetime of quilting:
1) Get a good chair. If possible get a chair that is adjustable so that your work surface is at elbow height and your knees are bent to a 90 deg angle. Use a pillow or cushion in the small of your back to keep good posture.
2) Keep things close to you. When your elbows are bent to 90deg, your fingers should be at the throat plate of your machine.
3) Mix things up! Cut for a while, then sew for a while. Keep the ironing board across the room to make make yourself get up and move.
4) Avoid prolonged positioning. Don't sew for more than 50 min out of every hour before getting up and moving/stretching- even less when doing handwork (I know, I know, this is very hard to do!!!)
5) Listen to your body. Stiffness is often a precursor to pain and is your first warning.
And no post would be complete without a photo, so here's one of my WIP's.
2) Keep things close to you. When your elbows are bent to 90deg, your fingers should be at the throat plate of your machine.
3) Mix things up! Cut for a while, then sew for a while. Keep the ironing board across the room to make make yourself get up and move.
4) Avoid prolonged positioning. Don't sew for more than 50 min out of every hour before getting up and moving/stretching- even less when doing handwork (I know, I know, this is very hard to do!!!)
5) Listen to your body. Stiffness is often a precursor to pain and is your first warning.
And no post would be complete without a photo, so here's one of my WIP's.
Happy quilting!
