Sewing Epiphany

Yup! I had one of those a couple of days ago -- an absolute insight!

It all started a couple of months ago when I got my sewing machine serviced. Just about the time I was ready to pay and leave, the repair guy fixed me with an accusatory glare and asked, "You aren't using one of those plastic tables with fold-down legs for your sewing table, are you?" Well, yes, I was. Or, more to the point, Yeah! It's a nice big work surface and is a lot more stable than my card table or a t.v. tray. "Get a sturdier table," he advised me. "Otherwise, the vibration on the table will knock your machine out of adjustment in no time at all."

That is all well and good, but where did I have a sturdy table floating around that would be the right height? The sewing cabinet with fold-out leaves I had purchased several years ago has a support bar across the bottom that does not allow my task chair to get close enough to the table surface. It does not take me long to develop severe back pain when I sit leaning forward at a 45 degree angle while sewing. That cabinet was quickly converted into a storage cabinet for my fat quarters and U.F.Os (unfinished fabric objects). My office desk was not available.

I decided a handcrafted computer desk we acquired would work. Very sturdy, a large work area, and some shelving for supplies and -- more U.F.Os. It took a major reorganizing my sewing area, but Buck and I got it in place.

There I have it, my sewing area, complete with obligatory sleeping cat and everything covered to keep the fur and dander off current projects so the area only needs a minor clean, not a major clean, anytime I want to sew. The only problem is that shelf hits me in the knees when the rest of me is about six inches away from the table. Buck is going to cut four inches out the shelf on the right, but until that happens, I find myself still leaning forward while I sew.

Where is the epiphany? I realized, after hours of pain from rolling my back that one of the reasons I could not sit up straight while stitching was not because I could not get my body close enough to the table. I could not see.

I have bifocals, but could use trifocals. I prefer to use an old pair of readers for my middle "focal". I need to lean forward to get my face mere inches above the presser foot for a clear view out of the close-up part of the lens. On the other hand, if I sit up straight, I cannot not see the detail clearly with the distant part of the lens.

I shoved my bifocals on top of my head, put on the old readers I usually use for computer work, and -- instant-presto! Problem solved.