I am in the market for a new sewing room chair. It needs wheels. I have a bad back and get fatigued quickly but love to (need to) sew for hours at a time. Do any of you have a really wonderful chair that I can check out at my local stores??

I used to have a folding chair that I had a pillow on to put me up a bit higher, but have graduated to a small computer chair. It's just the right height, but my feet don't touch the floor, which is ok, I rest them on the base of the chair. It was like $30 from Kmart. Bought it about a year ago for Courtney, but since she no longer uses her computer desk, I have the chair. I took the area rug out of my sewing room, moved the ironing board down to the height I needed so I can just wheel myself over to the ironing board, iron and then go back to sewing. Hubby says it's lazy of me doing it that way, I say it's not. Saves me from getting up and down, up and down and is easier on my feet. We have pure ceramic tiles in this house and after standing on them for any length of time, my feet start to hurt. Slippers weren't working, so this now is. :)
Ok, kinda long........

May I just say....not a good enough chair. I have a drafting table to cut and piece because it's tall and I don't have to bend over (I had surgery last year on my back). All I have right now is a stool used for a kitchen island. I am waiting for a drafting chair with wheels and arms to go on sale. I feel like a spoiled baby for wanting it, but it would help so much!

I need a chair with wheels too, and no arms so it doesn't matter which way I sit on it.

I have a piano stool, and it's great for at my machine but a pain to shift back and get up from.

That is not lazy, it's ergonomic! You are conserving energy while maintaining productivity. "Green" quilting!

Moonpi, I don't think it is lazy! If you think about it, we do so much shifting from sewing to ironing to cutting table that it is best to have wheels. (I like arms because I sit and stare at what I have made...make sense????)

Go to an office supply store and try out chairs that fit you! There are so many different styles for different body types. Some have wider bases and are more comfortable for some. For good support, go for a 5 caster bottom. Make sure you try the height adjustmentsto make sure you can actually make them go up and down. Some of the chairs are much more difficult to adjust. Check out the chair back to make sure it can be properly adjusted for your back. :lol:
I think there was an article about ergonomics recently in the newsletter. I am sure I read some of these tips there and that there was more advice that I forgot! :?

I splurged and got a suede covered chair with lumbar support. I love it and it sure helps on the back. Oh it's also on wheels and moves up and down.

Sorry. I meant to address the last statement to tlrnhi. :oops:

Exactly!! :) :)

I have a really good chair. We bought 2 of them from my local Fabric store where I bought my sewing machine cabinet. Not sure of the brand name of the chair. It has wheels and back adjustment along with height adjustment. Unfortunately one of the chairs broke, it's in the post part, so I need to get a new post or something. They were expensive, around 150 maybe? We need to get the other one fixed, for that price they need to last longer than 18 mos. Anyway I love my chair and I move it to where I am, whether the computer or sewing machine. It might be a "Sew Fit" or something like that. I don't remember and they don't say on them what they are.

I don't have the arms, don't like them on the sewing chair. Tried my computer chair with arms and they seem to get in the way........

It's ok Ducky...we all make mistakes....seems neither I nor Moon caught it lol

I don't have arms on mine either. They would get in the way. Sure is nice cause it rolls and turns and I can just swing around and roll a couple of feet to my ironing table.

I use a computer chair also, it makes it really nice to roll from the sewing machine to my serger when I am making clothing.

I have been making reversible vest for some girls that show in horseshows.

I also like to rest my feet on the legs, it is more comfortable for me when I am sewing.

Since my feet don't hit the floor, I have an old bed pillow that I have folded in half, sewed the ends together and rest my feet on that when I have to do the dreaded rip it, rip it

DH got me a chair at a used office supply place. A nice computer chair (rolls) with no arms. I have my machine on a table and it has an acrylic extender table on it so it's high up. I keep the chair at it's top setting and it's perfect. Only $30 and very comfortable.

I cut sitting in a straight backed chair at my sewing table, but I frequently sit, chaise style on the couch and piece..lol...ahhh, the joys of hand piecing..lol. :P

I've just taken over what used to be DH's study as he now works at his laptop on the dining table - it's a tiny room about 6' x 8' at the most, oh wait, I'll take a picture; and my chair is his leather office chair, on wheels and it goes up and down. It's really comfy and I used the sewing machine for the first time yesterday - I could whizz the few feet to the ironing board and back, great fun and very practical!

K x

i use a good desk chair that I can raise up and down. Also has rollers on it. I quilt in a floor frame so it is nice to be able to roll back and forth. I also like raising it at the sewing machine to get a little higher over needle. Ninnie in NC

I went to Staples and bought my first chair. It had arms on it and they always got in the way. So it is now at the computor. The chair I use for sewing has no arms and is ajustable to height. Also I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought bed risers for my cutting table .So that is the right height to cut so my back doesn't hurt. But I tried the chairs out before I bought them. Marge

I haave a computer chair it can be adjusted up or down and it will rock back and forth i love it when i was in florida i had a computer room office and when i came back home to my home town i did not have a office so i use it for my sewing and it is wonderful i have arthritis in my lower back...Jerrie

i have a chair at each machine (3). one is a piano stool. no back. terrible. the other 2 are antique lawyer's wooden chairs. they weigh a ton and don't move. i'm switching my room around so i can use 1 chair, with no arms and with wheels. i can only sit at one machine at one time, right.

I bought a couple of cheap armless computer chairs at Staples and took the backs off. I recovered the seat with a pretty fabric. Everyone asks me where did you find these! The chairs have the air lift thingy so they fit everyone.

:D

I used to sell high end office furniture. When I quit, I bought my favorite chair that they made. It is on casters, has adjustable seat height, arms that adjust up, down and swivel around totally out of the way. The back has adjustable lumbar support and the chair also has forward tilt. That allows the back to come FORWARD to support me even when I am leaning forward to sew...very important. Love it and wouldn't do without it! Its a Haworth chair.

The Ergo Expert I saw on one of the quilt shows said never lean forward into the sewing machine. You should be looking down at the machine and have the machine tilted toward you if necessary.
Your arms should be at a 90º angle from you body, hands level with the sewing surface. At first it seemed the machine was way too low this way but it works.

You can lower you neck but never hunch forward, that causes all kinds of problems. I made myself sit very straight and only lower my head to sew and the difference is amazing. My back, neck and shoulders do not hurt at all after sitting at the machine for a long time. If you hurt after sewing you might try this way.

I have a computer chair with great lumbar support...I have herniated disks,so have to have a good chair...

I went to an Office store and tested( sat) in anything that looked comfy. Make sure that it is a good fit, I made a quick decision on a previous chair and had to get a different one a few months later. It hit me wrong in the back.

I have an office chair with wheels and keep a pillow at my lower back for lumbar support. I have a large office mat so it will roll easy on the hardwood. I use an armless one because I hand quilt at a frame sometimes and it makes it easier.

I use a computer chair. DD got it for me a couple years ago. I love the fact it is adjustable.

I got mine at the office supply store. I test-sat quite a few and picked one that supports my lumbar - I've had back surgery and need a good chair.

I have the big sewing chair offered by Horn/Regal and LOVE IT. It has lower lumbar support, multiple tilt positions and a LARGE SEAT and the back is also wider that makes for greater support on the back.

The chair is expensive but it is well worth the purchase price. This will be the last chair we will have to buy.

My husband bought me an office chair. It looks like black leather and it is made of mesh in some parts becuz I sweat so much. It was around $175 but it is worth every penny.

I'm w/Shemjo! I did exactly that...kept going to office supply stores and sat in different chairs and our LQS had a deal on an ergo sewing chair. I can honestly tell you that there is no difference to me. Just pluck your back pockets like goldy and the 3 bears till you find the one that 'fits just right'...:)Look for the option of adjusting your height. That way if you go somewhere else w/that sewing machine, you can adjust your chair height too to match. Skeat

I have an office chair I purchased from Staples. It has a high back swivels, rocks and goes up and down. I like the arms as they support my arms when I am doing a lot of sewing. I have my sewing table adjusted to the right height so that my arms are parrallel to the table of my sewing machine. The table also came from STaples and my husband cut the legs down to make it the right size. The only other thing I did was add a donut cushion to the seat as I have serious muscle loss in my postier due to a chronic disease. I have the same kind of set up height wise with my computer. Without those adjustments I would not be able to use either machine for more than a few minutes.
The chair was on sale for less than $100. I consider it a great investment.

I also have a computer chair on wheels that height adjusts. I do get up and down to iron and use the cutting table. Quilting aerobics anyone? :lol:

In one of my early quilting classes the instructor discussed ergonomics. She had us purchase 2 rubber door stops. You slide the low end slightly under the back of each side of your machine and it tips the machine slightly towards you. The machine is still very stable, it is a lot easier to see what you are doing as well as better on your neck, back and arms.

Hi,

Slanting the machine is a great idea. While the door stops work there is actually a platform that lets you adjust the tilt. It fits under your machine and even has a slot for the cord. I purchased mine from Nancy's Notions several years ago. It does make it a lot easier on your neck when you are sewing. The only drawback is that things tend to slide off. I also have the acrilic slide on extension table for my machine. I actually broke the first one and my husband made me another out of plexglass. He was able to use the screw on adjustable feet from the original one. It is nice to have a husband who is a machinist by trade.