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I have a fairly expensive office chair on castors with swivel back and adjustable seat but my lower back and shoulders still get sore quickly. I was thinking of trying the type that Dentists sit on, they seem to have a wrap around back to them – anybody tried them or is an orbus support on my chair worth trying?
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I use a good office chair-with adjustable arms. I have been able to adjust it properly. I get up/down enough when I sew that I have not hard any trouble. Even have to get up/down at work & stretch. Good luck!
*Darlene, I have gone through four or five chairs trying to find one that keeps my back and shoulders from getting tired. Then I found out that the problem was not my chair at all!! My DH bought me one of those dohickeys that goes under the sewing machine and tilts it so that you don't have to bend over them to see whats happening at your needle. I think he got it from clotilde catalog, although I've seen them in lots of fabric stores and sewing machine dealers. WHAT A GREAT INVENTION!! Now, as long as the chair I am in is adjusted to the right height for the table my machine is on, it doesn't matter what chair it is, I never get the sore lower back and shoulders I used to get. The gizmos are pretty expensive, but worth every penny. When will the sewing machine manufacturers get a clue and put the machine on an adjustable base??
*I work for a company that sales office furniture. Please go to a a showroom and try out various chairs. I would not suggest one with arms, because it is hard to get close to the machine when sewing and could cause back strain. Look for one with good back support. You might also look for a chair mat, because it is hard to roll the chair without one if your room is carpeted and it is hard on your back I purchased one about 8 years ago and paid $250.00 (with my discount) for it, but it was worth every cent.
*I've read, and found to be true, that it's not the chair that causes the problems; it's the height of the machine. Most sewers place their machine on a surface that is way too high. A chair could affect this, but not by much, if the machine is so high that the chair can't be raised enough to compensate, which is usually the case. I sew kind of like I type : with my elbows perpendicular to the bed of the machine. It feels pretty weird at first, but I don't get nearly the aches and cricks! I have used a draftsman's - oops! draftsperson's! - stool, which is padded and very comfortable (I don't like arms) in order to be at the right height at a standard thirty-inch table, and an office chair at a table where the legs have been cut down. By the way, thanks for this post - I'm in the process of setting up my new sewing room, and had planned to use a larger table I had on hand - now I remember why I never used it before! Good luck in finding some comfort! : )
*I also use a draftsman's stool because I like to be a little higher than the standard chair. This allows me to perch on the edge and look down on my work. And I can swing over to my ironing board without getting up. Try it.
*A normal drafting stool would be too high for my sewing machine but I would love an adjustable one that would go from 20" to 30". I need a back but I could do without the arms. That way I'd be able to use it both for sewing and when I'm working at my cutting table which is much higher. I have looked at local office supply, catalogs and on the net and have yet to find one that has the range. I don't have room in my sewing room for 2 chairs. Does anyone have a source?
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