I tend to get stiff fingers, stiff wrist, stiff back, and lots of little needle pricks on my left finger. I have to force myself to take breaks or the next day I'm so stiff I can't walk!! (Doesn't stop me from doing more quilting though...) :D

a moist heat is better than a dry heat. go to a beauty supply store and buy a big piece of that scented wax, you can use a cheap crock pot to melt it in, get it to the hottest temp your hands can take. dip a hand in the melted wax, withdraw it, wait few seconds and dip it again. then put on a pairt of gloves to keep the heat in, leave for about 20 minutes, take the glove off and just peel the wax off (it comes off easily), put it back in the crockpot so u don't waste the wax. you can unplug the crockpot and store with lid on and re-use any time. this not only helps the arthritis but conditions the skin as well. you can purchase a whole set at the beauty supply store that includes the heating pot and wax & hand cream etc but
it's more expensive that way. hope this helps yall.
donna - barber/hairdresser

I think it comes with age......I started having pain a year ago.......I have given up hand quilting, but I still enjoy embroidery so if my hand starts to ache, I use a cream called Mobisyl. It is OTC. No odor, not greasy. It is a bit pricey, but goes a very long way. A friend told me about it....and it does seem to work. Good Luck!

I'LL LOOK FOR THAT AND TRY IT. DOES WAL MART CARRY IT?

I have same problem and have to quilt short periods at a time. However, I'm thrilled to see responses to this problem, as it assures me that I'm not the only one doing hand quilting. It seems that machine stitching is so popular, but I like the softness that hand quilting achieves. Besides, I don't want to see it being a lost art.

Hi I am from Florida and believe it or not my hands are always cold, so I wear fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm and keep them from cramping and getting stiff. This works for me I hope it works for you.

I have OA and also do the hotwax bath. My step-daughter got me a hot wax bath for C-mas last year, (from Walmart)...I love it!!!! If you dont' want to reuse the wax in the unit, (there will be some skin cells that come off with the wax) remelt it and make candles. Old bread bags work great for putting your hands in...then wrap in a towel to keep the heat in. If you are lucky enough to have someone around when you are doing this, a little massage after the wax comes off feels heavenly!!!

oh....another thing that helps, (again from Walmart LOL) splints for carpel tunnel. they will keep your wrist aligned, (helps with the tingly fingers), but still leaves your thumb and fingers free. I can even knit with them on!!

I have always quilted much the same way as one sews, but having watched people like Ami Simms, who seem to have such effortless neat and tiny stitches, I decided to master the rocking beteen middle finger and thumb method, only to get an awful joint pain and in my wrist. Does it matter how one hand quilts? It would be interesting to hear of other unorthodox methods.

i use rice bags i made them narrow and long when my hands bother me which is often i pop them in the microwave for about 2 minutes then wrap them around my hands. i put cinncmon and cloves in the bags so they have a nice scent that is relaxing.