amh

Try different things till you find what is best for your body. There are great suggestions above.

I personally use a Gypsy Sit Upon on a chair that is normal height, but my favorite is a drafting chair (taller than the normal) as I find I my arms are reaching downward and it avoids the slouch, and consequently to pain. Take exercise and stretching breaks. If you are one of those who gets that knot in the neck, try what I call the chicken stretch -- sit straight up and stick your chin out forward (much like a chicken walking moves its head) about 10 times, then turn your head only to the right and do it again, then to the left and do it again. You look pretty weird, but that knot seems to magically go away. I'm sure your Chiropractor will laugh at you, but will probably show you how to do it. They may not call it the chicken stretch though!!!

I never sew for long as it is too hard on my back, but when at a retreat I also wear a heat belt, which seems to keep things somewhat in check.

Stretch stretch stretch when sewing or sitting.

I sure like the idea of the swoper. Have never seen one, but I think that would work well for me.

amh

DogHouseMom

Ditto that. My husband said "why don't you set the room up this way so you don't have to move around so much" ... because I NEED to move around so much.

I also don't sew very many patterns where I can chain stitch a lot - so I'm up and over to the ironing board quite often.

The worst project I ever worked on was a jelly roll quilt where you sew them all together in one string, then sew the string together - and so on. I had to keep getting up and stretching.

Julian

I try not to sit for time, regardless of what I'm doing. If I'm stitching, I get up and media joints - the pressing panel is on the other part of the space. I also try to create sure I take a crack whenever or so.

jennifer30

When you sit on a sewing machine for a long time, you must maintain a good sitting posture; otherwise, it presses an extra pressure on your spine and causes pain. You can break every alternating 30-40 minutes, do some back sketches, use a good ergonomic chair, etc. Some doctor recommend to use a posture corrector belt to better posture; you can try it. One more important point when you are free from work, you also have to maintain good posture in every activities such as sitting, sleeping, walking, driving, cooking, etc. Thank you.

donna13350

I am in love with the sewing machines that don't use a foot pedal. They are so much better than using a foot pedal. I can sew with my feet up on a footrest now! I don't get shoulder pain at all now, because I can sit properly..I have also used it with a tray table while in a recliner..(for piecing..large projects won't work like that). It really didn't take more than a few minutes to adapt to sewing without the foot pedal. In addition to the benefits for posture, my FMQ has improved greatly..you set the speed you're comfortable with, so all you have to do is move your hands..works great. Many of the major manufacturers are making them now, and they're great.

Jeanette Frantz

Having had 4 spinal surgeries, and sustained a lot of back injuries, I can tell you that posture is very important. I was also told that the best thing you can do for your posture is to take that break, every hour, get up and walk around a little bit -- I've never timed how long I stay away from my chair, but I took longer than just getting a drink of water or going to the bathroom -- long enough so that you can relax those tense muscles. My orthopedic physician also told me this, but my boss at the time, said, yes, you can get up and walk around your desk, then turn around, sit down and get back to work --scrooge!

Iceblossom

I'm big on ergonomics and even bigger on getting up and moving/changing tasks every 15 minutes or so.

Get yourself a good chair and a good solid surface for your sewing machine. I've seen people using card tables that moved so much it was like being on a bucking bronco and they wondered why they had problems.

Me personally, I have a long torso and short little arms and legs. The "typing tray" level is never the correct level for me, it is desk top. Similarly, my seat on my chair is lower than people expect because my length is not in my legs.

I've found out things over the years, like the best height for me to cut fabric is standing at my kitchen table. My friend who is taller does her best on her kitchen counters.

I've been feeling a bit bad about spreading my quilting stuff out across the house but I've done it for good reasons. I used to keep it all in my sewing room and could easily not get up out of my chair for hours just rotate in the chair from sewing machine to ironing board to cutting table but I'm trying to get a few more steps in each day as part of my on-going battle with health and life style changes. My cutting station is currently on my dining room table, that's easy to get up and out of the way. The ironing board is in the living room. The sewing room is the small middle bedroom, and I layout stuff on the bed in the master. I wasn't wearing my fitbit yesterday but I can tell you -- I got in a lot of steps working on a tiny little project deliberately going from one room to another.

betthequilter

I have one of those belts that the workers at Lowe's wears. I don't wear it for posture, but support. Unfortunately, it's hot to wear in the summer.

hobbykat1955

I bought one of those Posture Sand bags Back Harness from Nancy Notions...It has help me to sit and stand up straight...

jennifer30

There is no permanent solution or remedy for good posture. You should change your lifestyle and try to maintain a good posture in every activities.