kit'smamma wrote:
........... These 73 year old hands are getting pretty arthritic too. ...........if I do my usual death grip on the quilt along with the foot on the floor boards so to speak.
I use gardening gloves that have little rubber dots all over them when I machine quilt. It helps me get some traction on the surface so the "death grip" is not required. Also, on some machines you need to loosen the pressure on the presser foot for FM work.
Just what works for me; your mileage may vary.