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I have been doing a lot of research into sewing room ergonomics. I have the privilege of having a dedicated room for my sewing and I have been rearranging it using the principles of feng shui and ergonomics. For this post, I am looking specifically at ergonomics and will do a post on Fengshui later.

Sewing Posture

As someone who practices yoga – posture and alignment are important to me. My posture and small back discomfort have improved significantly since I started practising yoga. A natural extension has been improving posture while sewing.

circa 2015 – Bad posture.

Sewing involves repeated movements of the arm and shoulder while the spine doesn’t move. I was stooped over quite a lot and seeing pictures like this made me aware of the need for change.

There is a lot of ongoing research on ergonomics in the sewing industry. Fashion is a billion-dollar industry. It relies on sewing, therefore, sewing is quite important.

A useful diagram for sewing ergonomics is this:

Image source: Pinterest

I like this image because it shows the wrong way and the right way. I used to be like the top drawing and leaning over which was really bad.

Lighting

The thing I found to have the most difference was the lighting. Adequate lighting to prevent slouching. I moved my working table with the machine directly under the skylight and it made such a huge difference indeed to my posture.

sewing room ideas
Main sewing area directly under the light fitting for night time sewing.

Tilt Table –

The Tilt’able ergonomic sewing table tilts the sewing machine angle which in turn reduces slouching over to see clearly. It improved the view of the needle and meant I could sit back in a comfortable position.

My Tilt Table on my Husqvarna Sewing machine

Adjustable chair with back support and cushioning.

I was using a stool before which meant I couldn’t control the angle of my knees or elbows which caused more strain. A low back task chair with swivel casters is great for sewing. Ebay and Gumtree are also good sources of preloved bargains.

Positioning your iron correctly to avoid back pain.

This was a hard one for me because I didn’t think it would make a difference but really I do spend as much time ironing as I do sewing! I press every seam so that follows. Additionally, I iron our laundered clothes. I had never stopped to think about how to do this correctly and what a revelation! I was amazed at what a difference this made towards maintaining my posture and making ironing less tiring.

Basically, shoulders should be relaxed and back in upright position. Adjust ironing board to a comfortable level where you don’t have to stoop or bend over and stand with one knee bent as you iron. You can use a stool as well but adjusting so the elbow angle is at a right angle.

http://www.abackforlife.org/24hrepasser.htm
I placed the power cable on the ironing board so as to avoid constantly bending over to turn iron on and off.

Align your feet and hips

You know that pesky thing happens when your machine pedal moves about and before you know it you are in a bad posture chasing the pedal. Well, the SureFoot System aligns your feet and hips to provide maximum comfort while sewing. The foot wedge gives your non-pedal foot support and the floor mat and pads keep your pedal from moving around under your table while sewing. No more pedal chasing!

You can also get the full ergonomic system which includes the Tilt Sewing Machine for sewing without bending over and the SureFoot system to keep the machine pedal in place

Hanging iron cord

A final point in my journey is that I found hanging my iron cord so it falls to the iron has made ironing that much more comfortable. I don’t have to pull the cord along. I implemented this based on the pictures and videos I saw of the sewing industry. It’s a simple fix – I installed a hook ( I got a pretty one from Anthropologie) just over where my ironing board is.

Hook on wall to hang the cable.

A simple alternative is this Iron flex cord :

Conclusion

These are simple and small things that in the long run have reduced the muscle ache and strain I would get from long periods of sewing. My next project with this is to work on setting up a standing sewing station. However, this requires more financial input than is available so it is on my wishlist for the future but I have read a lot of positive things about standing workstations.

EDIT- A comment mentioned this desk which I have added to my wish list Skarsta SIt/Stand adjustable desk.  It is adjustable and looks quite functional.

Another thing I did was to print out the sewing ergonomics picture and pin it across from my workstation to have that constant visual feedback and reminder.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have enjoyed this post – do you have any tips to share about improving posture and reducing muscle strain while sewing? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Peace and love,

Hila

Further reading

A fascinating site about movement – https://www.nutritiousmovement.com/a-day-in-the-life/

https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/sewing/sewingstationdesign.html
http://www.sewing.org/files/guidelines/21_110_sewing_room_setup_for_healthy_sewing.pdf
5 ways to improve sewing room ergonomics