... just don't mix. Leah Day does say on her blog that you need to be careful with posture and keep your shoulders relaxed, but creaky old age is catching up with me. Free motion quilting for the moment is going to have to be an occasional indulgence, and I shall just get on with the rough and ready tweed cushion I am making for my husband.
The great advantage of working with tweed is that it is very easy to get rid of slight rumples - just turn the work over, sprinkle water on the cotton backing, and press it with a hot iron. The reward is the lovely smell of damp wool, and seeing the tweed magically shrink itself flat.
This brown tweed is particularly felty. It is hot work quilting it, even without gloves - which you just don't need because the wool is rough enough to grip.
Anyway, back on the subject of the shoulder, we are trying out the Niel-Asher technique. My son is doing the home treatment for me, and I think there may be a slight improvement already, but I'm not altogether sure. Anyone ever tried it? I'd love to hear how it worked out for you.
Linking up today with Leah Day's blog for Free Motion Friday.
Update 30th April
Also linking up today with Barbara's blog Cat Patches for the April NewFO, and here is the latest progress on February's NewFO
Muv, feeling very sympathetic about your shoulder, as I've been dealing with this myself. I haven't heard of the Niel-Asher technique, but wanted to chime in here to mention that Reiki has helped my shoulder return to normal fairly quickly. I use it quite often.
ReplyDeleteThank you Linda, Such a total pain, isn't it? Glad to hear your shoulder has got back to normal. For most of Easter I felt like a piece of warmed up tripe. At the moment we are working on this at home, with my son doing muscle massage on my arm. I feel like a guinea pig.
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ReplyDeleteYour quilting looks beautiful! Oh, I completely sympathize on the frozen shoulder. I'm finally, after seven months, coming to end of my bout, I think. I don't have quite full range of motion yet, but it's getting there, more and more each week. I've never heard of this method, but I just Googled it and watched a small video. It sounds like a good plan. I went to my sister, who is a massage therapist, weekly, then biweekly. It helped more than physical therapy, which I quit because it was just too painful (and expensive). I also knew, having been through it on the other shoulder 10 years ago, that you have to wait until the shoulder starts to "thaw" and become less exquisitely painful before you can do some of the movements to restore range. I hope you feel better soon (although "soon" is a relative thing with this...soon enough is maybe a better phrase).
ReplyDeleteThank you P. Realising that this business can go on for months isn't much fun, but I'm just beginning to resign myself to the fact.
DeleteHi Muv,
ReplyDeleteI hope your shoulder is healing at least.
My shoulders are very prone to freezing too. It's the only aspect of aging that I find very hard to accept.
My last treatment recently was for bursitis, but in the past I've had physiotherapy for frozen shoulders.
My goal is to prevent the shoulder from freezing up in the first place obviously, but if I fail I practice damage control.
My strategy:
I know I tend to tense up my shoulders when I'm concentrating on crafting. So I try to be aware of that and relax them as soon as I notice some tension.
I take frequent breaks.
I try to avoid doing the same craft all day. Ideally I switch crafts, and if necessary I combine them with household chores or an hour of reading.
Unfortunately whatever craft I do some aching is bound to happen. So I have to switch between crafts often or even leave crafting alone for a day or two.
It sucks, but it beats being immobile for weeks in a row.
all the best,
Marianne
Thank you Marianne.
DeleteIt didn't seem too bad a few days ago, and now I have had a bad couple of days. I am still working out my strategy.
Bursitis sounds really nasty - I hope it has cleared up by now.
Love, Muv
Your FMQ is very beautiful! I hope your shoulder heals soon, so you can quilt without pain.
ReplyDeleteThank you - well I did actually do a bit today.
DeleteLove your FMQ! Hope your shoulder gets better soon.
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