pocoellie

There's also different ways to do quilt as you go.

francie yuhas

I attended a class where we were told that if the beginning/ending stitches were secure,we could closely clip them( without the hassle of burying them. It's sure a lot faster.

Anniedeb

Nice to see so many ideas. I love SITD, enjoy just stitching away. I also FMQ, but not in a traditional way. I just use my regular foot and my machine - just a basic singer hd110...I can move forward, backward and sideways. I admire how amazing some of the pictures I've seen posted here are. I can only hope...practice, practice, practice!

DOTTYMO

I have a friend who loves FMQ . Every time she stops and starts she sews her ends in and every new bobbin she cleans the bobbin casing. Sounds slow going but at the end she has finished.

Jackie Spencer

I don't consider my finished quilt tops UFO's. I used to quilt by hand, but now only hand quilt small things, I send my quilt tops out to be quilted. My UFO's are quilts I have started, and for some reason or other (usually another pattern I could'nt wait to start) got layed aside, temporarily. I have too many of them, thats for sure!

HillCountryGal

Machine quilting is not my favorite part of the process. The current quilt I'm working on has some machine quilting and the rest hand-tied. Tried machine quilting all of it, but fast became a pain in the hiney. After fighting it for two days, I remembered several posts here saying "there are no rules", "do it your way".

Stitch-in-the-ditch seems too tiedious to me. I tend to do cross stitching.

Teeler

So Day #2 on the quilting effort wasn't AS BAD as Day #1. I planned out my stitching paths, and had fewer hangy threads.
The worst part, is I also now get the issue with shoulder and neck pain. Wow. I feel like I have an ice pick right in the center under my right shoulder blade, and turning my neck to the side is a problem. DS says "ma, you need to work out," I respond that quilting apparently IS "working out."
Sleep was nearly non-existent, even with a sleep aid (should have just opted for the Advil instead).

So, tell me, is there anyone here who has figured out the ergonomics of quilting? Do I need to do it standing up instead?

quilterpurpledog

Teeler,
It is very important to vary your activity to avoid the issues with neck and back pain. All o our bodies have different tolerance levels and we need to work with it. I try not to FMQ on a large project for more than an hour at a time. I like to STID around every square and around each border so the quilt is stable. I like to use 60 wt thread on the top and whatever thread I use for the whole project in the bobbin. After stabliizing I can quilt wherever I want. As a result I quilt from the outside to the center. As soon as I have the border quilted I put on the binding-this removes a lot of bulk and is easier to handle. I like to hand stitch the binding to the back and do a little bit at a time. Usually my binding is finished before the quilting is finished. I always have more than one project going so I can use my body in different ways through the day. I set goals so a project needing to be quilted gets done. I'm doing an intricate design in 48 squares now-I do 2 squares each day-and them move on.

IQ2

Hi Teeler---very important question! I saw a chiroprator for years after the early days of working at a computer in the wrong position. You need to make sure that your chair height is correct to keep your shoulders level when you're sewing. Also, as purpledog advised, take hourly breaks. One of the board members once said that she sips water while she works so that she has to get up and go to the bathroom as a reminder to take breaks. And your son's advice about working out is good too. Get up, stretch, do some head turns and head rolls. Good luck. Once you work out your positions and routine you'll have much more fun

Teeler

hey, we've got an ARTICLE! http://www.quiltingboard.com/resources/article-90.html

And there's actually "quilting ergonomics" references online! Who knew?! I didn't even think to google it earlier. Excellent!

Machine Quilting for Beginners- Stress Free Ergonomic Quilting

In the Zone- Ergonomics for the Stitchy Set

15 Ergonomic Tips for Quilters