Homemother

HA HA HA HA Dog House Mom! Your are so funny. "I resemble that remark!"

Yup - sewing makes one's back and neck hurt! I used to sew costumes for my kids' Shakespeare plays. Some were very elaborate. When I went in to the chiropractor, he would ask, "What on earth have you been doing???" The answer is always sewing costumes.

Quilting is much more relaxing but I still have to remind myself to sit up, don't tense, etc. Obviously I enjoy the quilting much more than the costume sewing!

swt1quilt

I use an old hospital table puchased at a yard sale. It is a little smaller than a desk but the height is adjustable and it's portable.

babindg12200

I have a chair that I raise as high as it will go, and I'm still to short. It's an office chair too. I just have to get used to it. Try what that other person said, and tilt your machine, see if that works.

What a beautiful quilt in your picture. Could I get a pattern for that?

Dar-midlife

How long ago did you buy these lumbar supports? Were they in the "health/pharm" isle?

Doreen

Walgreens has some of those lumbar supports. I suffered from Frozen Shoulder after quilting a large quilt. Cost a small fortune going to the chiropractor! I'm more careful and no more large quilts!

caspharm

All of these are good suggestions. I had a class with a quilting teacher and know she was having some issues because of this.

That is part of the reason I am thankful that I could get a LA.

PolarBear

I gotten several great ideas from you all. Thank you for your replys!

illinois

No, I think they were just in a display in an aisle near the front of the store. Not pharmacy. These will tuck behind your back and reach from the seat to almost shoulder height. They are an open black mesh with a framework that gives. These are not something you wear. You put it in the chair. I got a couple for family members maybe a month ago. I haven't seen them anywhere but Dollar Tree. Ask the cashier if she knows where they might have them. I remember going to get one when they were first out and there was a new shipment. They were in a stack framework with a bungee cord across to keep them corralled. I took the cord off to get what I wanted and it was like taking the lid off one of those prank jars with the spring inside! Had a good laugh at myself as I was reassembling their display.

klgreene

I just went in and checked my chair and table....Can't lower the table, but I can raise the chair, because my hands are at about my arm pits too, and I've just had the same pain you have...so hopefully this will keep me from going to my Chiropractor. Sorry you had to have pain to help some of us avoid it.

Pam H

All of you would be interested in the book I started reading last night. It is Heirloom Machine Quilting by Harriet Hargrave. I checked on Amazon to see if it would let me look at the page on work space but no such luck. Just for the benefit of my good friends here on the board, I will summarize this section.
She first recommends a cabinet with you machine set in. If you don't have that, the next best thing would be an extension table. It needs to have a slick surface for the fabric to glide over. Avoid wood. It should extend 4" from the front of the machine, 24"-36" to the left and 18"-24" behind.
Make sure your chair has a large enough seat so it does not cut off circulation to your legs. Your chair should be high enough so that you can lean over your work slightly, relax your elbows on the table edge and take the stress off your shoulders and back.
This may all seem like a lot of bother, but reaching up with your arms to place and move the quilt under the needle puts a lot of stress on your back and between your shoulder blades. Also, you have much better vision and control when you look down on your work. Lift your chair high enough so that you can see down on the presser foot and fabric. You need to see the needle going in and out of the hole in the presser foot. Check that the glare from the machine's light bulb does not also cause vision problems.
Finally, place your chair far enough back so that you can lean forward. Set your elbows or forearms on the edge of the table and rest your upper body weight on them. Relax your arms and hands. Place your hands on the quilt as though you are playing the piano, LIft the wrists, keeping the fingertips on the surface, so the fingers are ready to walk wherever you need them. By positioning your hands in this manner, the stress to your wrists is minimal. If your hands or wrists begin to ache, readjust the height you are sitting and the position of your hands. Your hands should fall forward naturally from the wrists in a relaxed state. If you do experience any discomfort, you may want to wear the therapeutic gloves made to support your wrists.
Okay, me again! Quilting gloves or machiners really do help to get a grip on your quilt. When I took a machine quilting class, the teacher recommended putting an empty fabric bolt under the back of your machine to raise the back enough to get a better view of your work area. You probably would not do this if you have your machine set into your sewing table.
I hope this helps!