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HEALTH TIPS

Sarah from www.goodusecompany.com has these stretching tips to help avoid problems associated with long periods of repetitive stitching.

You can work with a strain, but never a pain.

Hold each stretch for 3 seconds as you exhale and repeat gently 3 times.

Shoulder Stretches - will ease neck stiffness

- roll your shoulders in large circles, up, back, down and forwards 3 times. Reverse the direction and repeat.
- lift one arm across your body taking your elbow past your nose, feel the stretch behind the shoulder. Repeat with other arm.
- drop one hand down your back and gently increase the stretch by pulling on the elbow with the other hand. Repeat with other arm.
- stretch both arms above your head clasping hands high above you and squeezing arms in to ears. Breathe out then lower arms.
- clasp hands behind you at bottom level and pull hands down bringing shoulder blades together and opening the front of the chest.

Forearms

1/ Put palms of hands together and keeping the whole hand and fingers in contact press downwards, stretching the under side of the wrist, roll the fingers to point toward the floor then back to point at your body.

2/ with arm at side straighten the elbow, with the shoulder relaxed, flex the wrist pulling the fingers up and slowly rotate the whole arm as far as possible in each direction.

3/ Drop arms at sides , flick fingers and hands, stop and pause. Combine with a long breath out for good micropause effect - stop, drop, flop and pause for 3 secs

Micropause every 15 minutes when sewing continuously but if arm/hand pain occurs - Micropause every five minutes.

For individual assessments and advice contact sarah@goodusecompany.com, www.goodusecompany.com

THREADS & NEEDLES

Barrie Ashton, who spoke at Guild recently, has kindly allowed us to add her notes to our website so that members are able to refer to the points she made.  Barrie sells Wonderfil threads and her email address is barrie.nz@wonderfil.net.

• Important to use correct needles/threads for the job. They are not all the same and can make a huge difference.
• Universal needles are just that – not for any specific use
• Better to buy 90/14 size rather than mixed packet as smaller needles not often used.
• Use topstitch needle/embroidery for rayons and threads 40wt or lower, as they have a larger eye to give room for thread to move. They have a sharp point which pierces most fabrics and doesn’t skip stitches. Has a deep groove on front of needle to help prevent fraying and breaking.
• Metallic needle important for metallics, also thread stand will allow extra space to unspool without twisting or kinking. These needles have a bigger eye, deeper front grove. Metallic threads require lower tension to flow freely.
• If using heavy threads on thick or rough fabric good idea to use a topstitch 100 or denim needle.
• Using batiks or tightly woven fabric a microtex needle may help.
• Problems – breaking need to pay attention to where breakage is happening. Is it getting hung up on the edge of the spool. If thread breaks in tension discs then need to make adjustment there – re threading or lower tension. If breaking at needle could be needle needs changing or fabric is problem - may need a larger needle to protect the thread. Your fusible web could be too heavy and the stiffness is fraying the thread.
• Bobbin –need to clean out with brush each time you put in a new bobbin. Never blow into machine.
• Threads add colour to your quilt-heavier weight of thread gives more colour. Threads come in weights - 12 wgt is thickest that will go through a needle on your machine. Normal thread 50 wgt going up to 100. Thin threads give you flatter seams, no added bulk. If thread painting use thin bobbin thread to reduce bulk on back of work.
• To make lines recede – use matte cotton of same colour of fabric.
• To draw attention use shiny contrasting threads – variegated with different stitch widths.
• Thinner thread will appear smoother. Thin thread in bobbin requires less frequent bobbin winding – might need to check tension on bobbin.
• Ricky Timms says why use matching thread for blanket stitch. All that work and it will be hidden – use contrasting or multi to add interest. Try different stitches from you machine.