Kathy, Ruth posted a wonderful introduction to free motion quilting. It is not unusual for a beginning free motion quilter to tense up and hold their breath. For me that continued way too long. I would find that I couldn't quilt very long without getting pain in my neck and upper back. I hosted a chat lecture by Susan MechMD who wrote "RX for Quilters". During the Q&A she suggested a few tips that I would like to share. #1. The bed of the sewing machine should be even with your comfortably bent elbows. #2 Your chair should be at a height that allows your feet to be flat on the floor while your knees and hips are level. If this is not possible, place something on the floor to raise your knees. This could be a platform large enough for your feet and foot pedal. #4 She also talked about lighting and the need for brighter light as we age. One of her suggestions was a halogen light, or 5,000 kelvin flouresent fixtures. These are easily found in home improvement stores. #5 Finally, she reminded us to breathe :!: Relax and take breaks every 15 minutes. Get up, walk around and stretch. Her book is quite affordable and full of tips I paraphrased here. If you start out following her suggestions, you will save yourself aches and pains. You will be more prepared to be successful. Good luck to you and happy stitching. :D