3. TAKE A BREAK AND STRETCH This might be old news to you, but it can’t be repeated enough. Put your work down and walk away for a few minutes at regular intervals. Your body needs this time to recoup so you can go back with renewed energy and relaxed muscles.

Take advantage of the natural pauses that come up while you’re crafting, says Melissa Alvarado, part owner of Stitch Lounge, a San Francisco studio that offers sewers tools, advice, and resources.

Sewers, for example, inevitably run out of thread, and must get up to rethread the bobbin. That’s the perfect time to take a stretch. Set an alarm for every half-hour or hour, then stand up and walk around the room, stretching out your arms and back.

Elizabeth Rainey, a Seattle-based yoga instructor, offers this suggestion: bend your body at 90º and place both hands against the wall at the same height as your hips. You can bend your knees or keep them straight, but keep your hands level with your hips. This will open up your shoulders while stretching your back and neck.

Illustrations by Dustin Amery Hostetler

4. WATCH YOUR BACK If you’re sitting on a chair or sofa for hours at a time, always have lumbar support while you craft. Put a small pillow against your lower back to help keep your spine straight, says Michael Swenson, an occupational therapist in Seattle.

Also, keep both your feet on the ground while you work. “Your legs are made up of a closed chain of bones and muscles,” he says. “Starting out with balance and support beneath your feet will ultimately carry balance up through your pelvis and into your whole upper body.” Good posture is also important in minimizing symptoms of repetitive strain injury, he adds.

For those spending a lot of time on their feet, like Marie Kare, founder of the Sampler, a San

Francisco-based mail-order company selling handcrafted goods, flip-flops are not going to fly as supportive footwear. Kare invested in a pair of MBT ergonomic shoes, and placed a soft rubber mat on her floor, which softened the impact of standing for hours on end.

5. SWITCH

IT UP

Mastering one craft is great, but for us dabblers, it’s good news to hear the importance of shifting from one craft to another. If you’re working on sewing a dress and you really want to finish that knitted scarf for your best friend’s birthday, switch back and forth every couple of hours. This will help you take breaks and will allow your body to engage in a variety of movements.

For Portland, Ore.-based artist Jill Bliss, who makes everything from earrings to stationery and runs a business selling her goods, the problems evolved over time. It started with pain in her hands, which then spread to her shoulders and now her lower back. She’s developed sciatica and has sought help from a physical therapist and a chiropractor.

But Bliss knows she has some control over her environment. At any given time, she has three projects going on simultaneously so that she can alternate between them.

Like Kare, she also invested in a pair of MBT shoes for days spent standing. And lastly, she works shorter hours spread out throughout the entire week, which spreads the amount of concentrated work time, allowing for more frequent breaks.

Our bodies can take a lot of stress, but when your body starts complaining, don’t forget to listen!

 

Kristen Rask owns a small store in downtown Seattle called Schmancy. Her book Plush You! Lovable Misfit Toys to Sew and Stuff is based on an annual show she has at the store. She loves to make stuff in any spare moment she can get. schmancytoys.com