can anyone suggest a comfortable chair as my backaches if sewing too long. should it have arms, rise up and down, lumbar support? i don't mind the investment as long as it works. thank you in advance for your suggestions.

I just have a cheap computer chair.
No arms on it. I tried my chair WITH arms and they were getting in my way.

The thing that helps me most is to get up and move around. My joints begin to feel as though they are "welded" in place. I do some cutting or other jobs and then sit again for a while. Maybe touching your toes once in a while will help loosen up those muscles. I am familiar with those stressed muscles. Give them some care and lay on the heating pad for a while. Feels so good!

Most people like those adjustable chairs on wheels, because you can fit them to your body size. I hate them. For me, there's nothing better than a chair that's NOT on wheels, one of those old-fashioned wooden straight-backed (and I do mean straight and not slanted backward, the way they all are now) chairs with a padded seat. It cushions your bottom and supports your back. You can also move around on it so your weight is arranged differently according to how your back feels. You can't reposition yourself in a chair with arms.

For you, get a chair that's comfortable when you first sit in it. Test to make sure you're sitting straight as you work, with your lower arms parallel to the ground when they're on the table. Again, make sure it's a chair you can reposition yourself in from time to time, too.

I agree with the person who said to get up and move around every so often. That's important, too.

I sit at a student's desk and chair- from the 50's. It's smaller and I find much "closer" to my size. I do the same- get up and move often.

I found the computer chair to be too tall and bulky for me.

I have an old office chair without arms that I can adjust the height. Make sure that the seat area is long enough to fit your boby. Some have a short seat and are not comfortable for longer legged people. I think you should really audition chairs, but do get one with a cushioned seat. Getting up to press seams or whatever helps with the back not aching. :lol:

Go to an office supply store like Office Depot, Staples, etc. and try out office chairs there. One of my quilter friends has a great chair she got at an office supply store and it is so comfortable to sit in and for sure had the lumbar support. :)

I love my office chair on wheels. I requested it as a Christmas gift a year ago. My sewing room is carpteted and it is easier to scoot back than a regular chair. I like the support it offers, and sometimes I raise or lower the seat to change the angle of my knee on the foot pedal. However, I second the "no arms" style. Mine has arms that continually hit against the sewing table.

Another thing I try for tight neck and shoulders is heating up a "rice" neck bag in the microwave and laying it around my neck. You can buy these with a variety of stuffings (corn, buckwheat hulls, etc.) and heat them for about 2 minutes (varies by microwave). Mine stays warm for about 20 minutes and helps loosen up the muscles. Or asking DH to rub my shoulders helps also. (You can make your own "rice" bags...I did them for Christmas gifts last year for friends and they went over very well.)

I bought an inexpensive armless swivel desk chair with air lift. I took the back off it and have a very comfortable sewing stool. I was taught to sew with my back straight, and neck not bent. I bend my head down and never jut my head forward to sew. I can sew all day this way. Oh and a hemorrhoid pillow is excellent to sit on while sewing.

Do u just make closed "bags" with ordinary rice in them or?