Fortunately, I have completed this little part of my mermaid quilt. You can see it on my member blog on 6/26, if you want. Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'll remember them when I get to the quilting. Just for the record, I don't like pain killers of almost any type, but very rarely, I will take an aspirin, so the proper sitting, chair adjustments, and break techniques you all suggested seem the best way to go for me.

One of the things you can do is adjust your chair up or down (just a little bit) several times in a day. Also, put your feet on something to elevate them a bit (about 4" is good). Your whole body is affected by the way your feet 'pulls' on the rest of your body and eliminating that helps a lot. Make sure you aren't too high when setting at the machine, too. That is the most common mistake that sewing people make when setting at the machine. There are a lot of tips on the internet -- search "ergonomic sewing" and you will find all kinds of sites that will help.

I work with special needs kids. Amongst them are a couple of teenagers who are in a wheelchair. The lack of movement gives them all sorts of aches, pains, and discomfort. I always make sure that they have to move (within their limitations) about every 20 minutes, and if that is not possible, then a gentle massage of the muscles that have tightened often helps. Physio-therapists will tell you that the best position for your body when you are sitting down is a straight back, a 90 degree angle between your back and your upper legs, another 90 degree angle where your knees bend, and your feet should be flat on the floor. I bet a lot of us are not sitting in that position when using the sewing machine. Check it out. You may have to adjust the height of your table, and/or the height of your chair. IKEA sells tables that are height adjustable and not too expensive (if you haven't got a husband whose diy skills are magic), and most office chairs are height-adjustable. But even with that sorted out, you need to take regular breaks. I'm my own worst enemy and can get very engrossed in doing something. I sometimes use an kitchen timer and set it for 20 minutes at a time. When it bings I get a drinks, empty the rubbish bin, tidy up some fqs, get my bag ready for school, etc. Works for me.

And go easy on the pain killers. They only mask the problems, not solve them.

Lorchen

Ibuprofen

Hi, all. Ritzy, I am using a hoop, but thanks for the suggestion. I don't think I could do this without one (Libby Lehman uses one). I am having to make myself not grip it too hard, though, and sit up straight every now and then. Thanks to everyone for your ideas. I have been stopping now at about every fifteen minutes and stretching and shaking out my hands (when I was a very young girl, I had a piano teacher that taught me to do that...it's great for making your hands feel more limber), and at the end of every music cd I'm taking a longer break. It's helping. I'm making pretty good progress, but I'm not going to finish the coral today. I think I can do a few minutes every night this week, and maybe by Friday I'll have the coral done. That would be a good thing! But it's really fun. I can hardly wait to get this top completely put together and see how it looks. I placed the shell and mermaid on the quilt just to get an idea and the coral looks right.

If you are not using a hoop--do--it makes it easier to move the piece around. Keep you shoulders down. And stretch every 15 min.

I was thinking the same thing this morning after being on the thrid day of FMQing!

We must be powerful peolple underneath! Thank goodness for pain relievers. I have a sticker on Bob that says STRETCH in bright, bold letters and I think that is a great help. Every half hour or so, walk around, go make a coffee, check on the roses growing ect.

I once took a class from an instructor who had us stop and stretch every 45 minutes. We'd stand up, move our shoulders, shake out our hands, etc.

I've been free motion embroidering coral onto my mermaid quilt today. So far have spent a couple of hours at it and it's still got a long ways to go...I'm borrowing a sort of Libby Lehman embroidery style (I took her class at Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival this year and it was awesome). I am happy with the way it's coming out. But my shoulders and neck and hand muscles are beginning to rebel, so I guess I have to stop for a bit. Any suggestions on how to keep from getting too sore on this? I think I have about another four or so hours to go on the coral alone. So far, I think it's worth it, but I may change my mind by the time it's done.