Sewing Tips - Stay Healthy And Safe In Your Sewing Habits
It's easy to jump into a sewing project and forget about yourself in the process
. However, many activities in sewing can put strain on a body over extended periods of time. Putting some thought into your habits and workspace before you begin can help protect your health and increase your enjoyment and productivity.
Sewing Risks and Remedies
The biggest risks to watch out for in sewing are sharp objects, bad posture, repetitive motions, reaching motions and fatigue. Preemptively addressing these issues before they become a problem will enhance your sewing experience a great deal.
Sharp objects, such as pins, needles, scissors and the like, are frequently used tools that often have to be kept close at hand. In addition to using appropriate caution during use, it is good to have a secure place to keep them and develop a habit of always putting them back into place when not in use. It is also advisable to always wear shoes while sewing, so that your feet won't be injured if something accidentally drops.
Bad posture entails spending long periods of time in positions that don't properly support your body's weight. In sewing, this most often occurs in leaning forward while sitting or while standing over a table. Not all the standing tasks have alternatives, such as cutting or pinning large pieces of fabric, but you can take frequent breaks or change up your activities rather than doing all of a certain task at once. Most importantly, you should never push yourself to ignore pain or discomfort to force yourself further while your body is strained.
Sitting posture can be corrected by investing in a good quality ergonomically designed chair in which you can comfortably and effectively complete your tasks while sitting back properly against the back support. If you find yourself still wanting to lean forward to see your work, you may need better lighting in your work area, or you might need a vision checkup to test for developing problems. However, for the most part, it usually just comes down to conscientiously changing your habits for the benefit of your long-term health.
Repetitive motions involve using the same muscle groups -- often the wrists and fingers -- repeatedly in the same ways while you are working. Over time, this can damage those parts of the body, making it difficult or impossible to continue doing those tasks. This is more often a concern with hand sewing than with machine sewing, although with machine sewing it can come up where there is a lot of cutting or pinning involved. Cutting can be eased by using a rotary cutter rather than scissors when applicable, and for pinning there are various adhesive options available. Both of these alternatives are particularly beneficial in the area of quilting.
For hand sewing, there are machine options available for a few techniques, such as embroidery or knitting, but for the most part, your greatest recourse is to take frequent breaks to stretch out your muscles, move around a bit, and stay properly hydrated to keep good circulation throughout all parts of your body. If hand sewing is a regular part of your lifestyle, it may be worth bringing up with your physician for advice that will help you best support it. You might also consider alternatives for other daily life activities that typically use those same muscle groups, such as using voice recognition software instead of typing for computer work or preparing food with a food processor or other tools rather than with knives or hand graters. Your muscles can only do so much in a day, but you can set priorities according to what you most want to use them for.
Reaching motions are actions such as extending yourself forward or twisting your back. Try to avoid this as much as possible to reduce your chances of injury or long-term cumulative damage from muscle strains or tears. Be creative and arrange your workspace in such a way that all your items are conveniently within reach when you need them, but when something is not in reach, take the time to walk over and get it instead of straining yourself to try to grab it from where you are at. It's easy for all your focus to become concentrated on your project, but your health and safety is important to keep in mind at all times.
Fatigue is probably the most potentially dangerous and the most unconsidered sewing risk of them all. It's often a temptation to keep pushing forward with a project to get more done after your mind and body have become worn out, but you need to discipline yourself to not give in to it. Except for a few types of hand sewing, there are too many aspects of the sewing process that require full concentration to be able to do effectively and safely for it to be worth the risks of trying to proceed while tired or in any other way compromised, no matter how skilled and experienced you are. Stay mindful of your mental and physical condition, and be honest with yourself when it's time to call it a day and return when you have rested.
by: Connie Isidora
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