I know that not everyone uses a fan to help cool themselves while sewing, but my wife and I don’t run the AC down very low, and use free-standing fans to circulate the air instead. This Spring has been extremely hot here and we've used the fans quite a bit. Every once in a while, I find myself “fighting the wind” when handling my thread or fabric at my needle. Not to mention all of the thread trimmings that get blown across the top of the trash can onto the floor.

If you use a fan, is it a ceiling fan or a free-standing fan, and have you came up with any secrets to avoid turbulence at the needle but still get good air movement toward yourself?

CD in Oklahoma

We have central air and ceiling fans in the rooms. Our fans do not bother my sewing at all.

I use a ceiling fan to avoid this problem.

I have ceiling fans in every room and if they are on a slow speed, they move the air nicely without blowing everything away. When we lived in the midwest and had AC I would place a small fan in front of the duct in the floor aimed at the wall and the cool air would bounce off the wall and spred evenly thru the room.

I have ceiling fan, with 3 lights, overhead. I keep it on low when I run it, so it doesn't disturb anything. If the lights get too warm, I unscrew a bulb, or two, or just use a desk light or two, instead.....

2 ceiling fans in the room

Same here. And since my sewing room has a south/south west exposure with a large bay window, it does get warm in there. So not getting away from using both the a/c & the ceiling fan.

My sewing machine is set up in front of a window with a window fan in it. I have to turn it on mostly when I have my "private summers" and I too fight the wind :lol:

I have fans running all of the time, due to summer and powers surges LOL
I do have my sewing machine area partially blocked so the breeze coming that way is somewhat off of my machine area :D:D:D

I use a ceiling fan along with the central air. Sometimes the little pieces fly off the table but I just bend down and pick them up.