tailormaid

Has anyone used the Lap App (link is below) for better ergonomics? Does it help neck and shoulder pain when doing various applique tasks including hand work? Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/The-Lap-App/dp/B014RGTKBM

QuiltE

FYI ... your link did not work when I tried it.

I did find this ... is this what you are talking about?
http://www.nancysnotions.com/product/lap+app.do

Prism99

The Amazon link worked for me. Looks like the nancysnotions link is the same thing. Did you read the Amazon reviews? Seems to be not sturdy enough to rest your hands or arms on, plus it looks awfully small to me. I don't think I would like the base resting on my legs either. I'd probably make my own out of a lap desk like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Honey-Can-Do-...dp/B00FQK14UE/
and glue a sturdy pillow on top. The beanbag bottom on the lap desk would work better for me than a wood base.

tailormaid

Yes, the link to Nancy's Notions is the same as the Amazon one. Prism, thanks for the link and suggestion about making my own. I did see the review on Amazon about the person not being able to rest their hands or arms due to sturdiness, and wondered what someone else meant that it did help with neck and back pain. If I made my own using a lap desk like you linked to, what kind of pillow would you use, and how would you glue it? Thanks again. Beth

Prism99

It depends on how nice you want it to look. If going all-out, I would probably make my own pillow cover, put two pillow forms inside, and run an elastic strap between them. This would require making a custom pillow cover with two bound holes for the elastic strap. If I didn't care how it looked, I would probably just find a used pillow of approximately the right height and firmness and then ask my husband what glue product to use. Or, instead of glue, you could use heavy-duty sticky velcro between the pillow and the lap desk. Big box hardware stores usually have the heavy-duty velcro.

Probably one thing you want to do before deciding on a pillow is sit in your favorite spot with the lap desk on your lap and have someone measure the distance between your elbows and the lap desk. That would be the height you want for the pillow, I think. I'm not an expert on ergonomics, but I know that for typing and sewing machine work, you want the surface at about the same height as your elbows. This puts the least stress on your wrists, neck and back. I think you would want a rather firm pillow, as you don't want your work sinking into the pillow; you want it to provide support. Instead of a pillow, you could experiment with other things. I am thinking a small pet bed of the correct height (a pet bed that has both a top and a bottom) could be stuffed with styrofoam and velcro'd to the lap desk. If you don't mind the weight, you could stack old magazines or telephone books to the correct height, secure them with twine, then cover with heavy batting and a pretty fabric. Or maybe just cut and stack styrofoam pieces to the correct height, tape around the styrofoam to hold it in place (I think duct tape works on styrofoam), then cover with a couple of layers of batting and some pretty fabric and velcro to the lap board. With styrofoam, you could even round the edges a bit.

Prism99

I did a little experimenting. First off, I think it's important to sit in a chair (rather than a sofa) where you can rest your elbows. Second, I noticed that the sewing case I bought from Walmart would work very nicely as a raised, padded surface to work on. It's about 7" tall and sits in my lap. I could add a strip of wood or styrofoam to the back bottom so that it would tilt, and this would create a nice raised surface where I could work with my wrists in a neutral position. A neutral position for wrists means that they are not bent, but rather are kept nice and straight. This prevents repetitive stress injury that results in carpal tunnel syndrome.

Here's a link to the type of sewing case I mean:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Deluxe-Se...White/50654209
Walmart has them in their sewing section, and JoAnn Fabrics always carries a selection too. Mine has a padded wooden top that would be easy to work on, and for tilt all I would need to do is glue or velcro something under one edge of the bottom so the top would face towards me when on my lap.

I should add that my sewing case has a hard cover and latches. Those with zippers are probably soft covers. You could still use one by filling the box with styrofoam, but I think it would be easier to just get one with a padded wood cover.

carolynjo

Good ideas.

tailormaid

Prism, thanks so much for your excellent ideas! I have some industrial Velcro around somewhere, I did think about that, and will start to experiment. Beth

peaceandjoy

Here are directions on making a lap desk. Wood base is available at Home Depot for $6. http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2015/0...-required.html

There are quite a few options out there that aren't terribly expensive - less than the Lap App. Search "raised lap desk". Even at Walmart or Amazon, you'll see several choices. On pinterest there is one made from a cupboard door that looks like it could be easily adapted to the size you need, whether you start with a cupboard door or a piece of wood. I like it as it has an raised edge to keep supplies from rolling away.

1screech

My husband made them for most of my sewing friends and used to sell them. I could not do without them. I don't know if he has any left or not because we won't be home until the first part of march. I sue it for hand sewing, reading books when we travel and a host of other things.