Hello...from Perth, Western Australia. You will get lots of advice and tons of inspiration from the lovely people here. I too am a keen gardener, and now I have a little more time on my hands, quilting has become very important to me. You may find sitting for long periods and hand-working or machining not so good for your carpal tunnel, but if you take breaks every once and awhile and do a different activity you should find it easier. My friend found splints very helpful, til she was able to have it repaired.