Originally Posted by Hinterland
I do a lot of hand sewing. If my hand begins to hurt while appliquing, I change needles, usually switching to a straw needle. My hand rarely hurts when I hand quilt, unless I prick myself. :(
My hands usually don't hurt, but my wrist will bother me from time to time. I blame the computer for that - I use one all day at work. If it hurts a lot I use a wrist brace, even wearing it to bed. It keeps the wrist straight and helps ease the pain.
Sounds like you ladies are experiencing some early Carpal Tunnel and arthritic symptoms. I have both and find the brace helps when at rest, impossible to hand sew with it on, and the use of topical medications helps relieve the pain. You may want to check with your doctor to make sure there isn't some early intervention medications that could bring you some relief. I've had to accept that if I wish to continue quilting I have to change the length of my sessions. I perfer to do this instead of quit quilting all together.
Good Luck,
Andie :D :D :D