Originally Posted by sunnyhope
Originally Posted by Teacup
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.)
Do u just make closed "bags" with ordinary rice in them or?
I have made two styles of bags, both starting with an inner liner of muslin that holds the rice, either a large rectangle or a U-shape big enough to drape around the neck. Stitch the seams with a small stitch length to make it harder for rice to leak out. I leave one end open, turn it inside out and fill half- to two-thirds full with inexpensive uncooked white rice from my discount grocery store – not Minute Rice. (It might take more rice than you expect.) From experience: Put the bag down into a mixing bowl and use a large funnel or a cardboard shape bent into a funnel to help you get the rice in the bag. And don’t let a 2 year old try to “help.” Be sure to leave enough room in the bag to allow it to drape softly around the neck and also to shake the contents to evenly distribute the rice during the heating. Then stitch the end of the bag closed. I found it a bit tricky to work with the bag at my machine without rice leaking out, and I got rice in the bobbin case, so you might want to slipstitch the opening shut before taking it back to your machine.
The outer liners are made in three pieces like you would for a removable pillow cover – a solid piece for the front and two overlapping pieces for the back that you leave open to slip the muslin bag into. I’ve used cotton, flannel and fleece (which stretches and is a bit more challenging to work with).
Place on a microwavable plate or in a bowl and mircrowave on high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, depending on the microwave and how much rice is in the bag. I take it out at one minute and shake to distribute the heated rice. Do not overheat! The rice could brown if you leave it in too long, or the bag could be too hot and damage the skin. Some people may find these bags a bit heavy, but most I’ve given them to love them. I’ve used them to relax muscle stress and strain at the computer or sewing machine, relax a leg cramp, drape over my nose and eyes to help relieve sinus pain and headache, and for aches of cold and flu. They are great too on my feet on those cold winter evenings when I feel chilled to the bone. Basically whatever you’d use a heating pad for. Some people say they keep one in the freezer for cold applications, but I’ve never tried that (I prefer warm!).
Sorry – didn’t mean to hijack the topic!