sewbizgirl

Be sure your chair is the correct height so you can sew with relaxed shoulders.

fruitloop

I was in a dressing room for a play last night and I actually noticed every woman opened her mouth to put on mascara! I did too. It's not that easy to have that control come naturally and not have to think about doing it.

Mitty

I don't know if this will help, but when I want to relax I usually concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths, which tends to relax my whole body. Since you're breathing continuously it might just become a habit and you won't have to remind yourself.

toverly

When ever I feel myself tensing up, I stand up and do a backstroke with my arms. It seems to help to crunch and stretch those back muscles.

Little Lulu

HollyAnne Knight with String and Story has suggestions about this very thing that I have found helpful..scroll down to Set Up - Chair Height and Taking Care of Your Body. Hope this helps you.

https://www.stringandstory.com/blog/...uiltondomestic

charlottequilts

I will try the sticky note idea, but for me, it's not intensity but vision, and I don't see a way around it. I have moved to an extremely low chair (a sewing box) to get myself so low, I'm closer to the needle, but then the hunching is worse, as the table is much higher relative to me. It is, however, easier on the neck, so that's something.

hugs,
charlotte

lynnie

i have the same problem. and, i have to say the same thing to myself. i feel your "pain"

Peckish

Maybe you need "quilting glasses". I use readers at 1.50 strength for reading, computer work, checking my phone, etc. But when I do any handwork, I switch to readers at 2.50 strength.

Lisa Hagstotz (formerly Lisa Calle) was hunching to see her work and suffering terribly because of it. She invested in a pair of glasses, you can read about it here:

https://lisacalle.wordpress.com/2017...-is-overrated/

Pique

I am still in the process of learning free motion quilting and done all the above plus one more thing. I tend to hold my breath. The note on my machine says breathe.

origamigoldfish

I had a teacher in college tell me after a day of hunching over my work bench to go home and lay on my back on the bed and dangle my head over the edge for a few minutes to help stretch out the muscles. It helps, but I tend to forget to do it.

I am currently quilting at the wrong height....my quilt top is level with my heart. I can only manage about 10 minutes before the aching makes me quit. It doesn't bother me much to piece at that height, but quilting makes me ache.