I have been stitching very slowly these days since my thumb joint is giving me pain again. I noticed it at Christmas and usually if I don't stitch too much and use Voltaren cream, it slowly goes away.
But not yet.
I did get my Family Portrait embroidery pin basted last Sunday and started hand quilting it. I am using a silicone finger tip needle puller to decrease strain on my hand and I am limiting myself to one thread of quilting every day. We'll see if this works to decrease the pain. Other solutions are welcome!
I have also been working on a cross stitched gift for my son, which was supposed to be for Christmas. But the hand pain didn't allow me to meet that goal. He will receive it eventually whenever it's done!
I cannot fully express how much I am hating this stitching! The majority of the design was partial stitches (ie. making four 1/4 stitches in one tiny, little Aida square). Ugh - I'm hating it! Although I do love this photo of me poking "The Dude" in the eye with a needle! LOL
I am persevering and determined to finish it because I know my son would like it. And when it is finished, I will immediately return to my old 1991 cross stitch project, which used to seem hard, and now seems much easier in comparison! I want to remind myself that I do in fact like cross stitching, just not in micro form with a bad stitching chart!
Okay friends... it's your turn now. What are you hand stitching this week? Are you enjoying it, or are you trudging through to the finish line? Link up your instagram or blog post below and share your finishes or your miseries!
It's no fun stitching something you are really not enjoying. The Dude cross stitch is fun, though. I hope your thumb joint is soon without pain so you can enjoy some hand stitching.
ReplyDeleteThe snowman family is so cute! I do most of my hand quilting in my large frame. When I do a smaller project that I need to pin baste, I pin a few pins on top then turn the project over and closer pin on the backside. Then I turn it over and make sure there are no tucks and remove the pins on the top. This way the thread doesn't get caught in the pins. Happy stitching!
ReplyDeleteI have a few thumb braces from the local pharmacy that I use when on the computer and at night when sleeping. They prevent the pinching motion that aggravates the arthritis and keep the thumb in a better position. I too have to limit the time I stitch/crochet or I am in pain. I want to avoid surgery for as long as I can. I do either pin basting or thread basting. If I am using a hoop for quilting, pin basting doesn't work real well. I love your snowman piece. I hope you can finish the Dude quickly and get back to a cross-stitch you actually like.
ReplyDeleteOh sorry your hand is acting up so much!! I totally empathize--I have been using Blue Emu cream and it helps--but have found that rest is the best medicine for me...I also wear my soft wrist/hand brace to immobilize the thumb part which is where my pain centers around...
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better soon...hugs, Julierose
Oh my goodness! I sure hope you find some thumb relief soon. I can't imagine not being able to hand stitch due to sore joint pain. I've never heard of the cream. I have osteoarthritis in my toe joints that is so painful sometimes I can't use the sewing machine foot pedal (or sleep or walk) so may have to find some of that cream and try it out on my foot.
ReplyDeleteI did a cross-stitch project that had partial stitches recently, too, and I didn't quite understand how they were stitched! Hopefully you will like the look of your son's piece in the end. Hope your thumb feels better soon, Kathy!
ReplyDeleteI really dislike partial stitches on Aida. Trying to find the center of the Aida lace square is a pain because all the ground stitches are bunched together by the weave pattern.
ReplyDeleteMy preferred ground for anything pictorial is 28 count evenweave. Usually Lugana. A plain weave over two gives you four exact placements for the quarter stitches.
Good luck with your project.
I have tried voltaren several times and see no difference when I try it and when I don't use - how many weeks do you need to put it on before you actually see a difference? I read 2 to 3 weeks and that you need to use it 3-4 times a day. I never remember to put it on 3 or 4 times a day I get too busy. I have tried it up to 2 weeks for my hands and never notice any change.
ReplyDeleteI am 100% in agreement! I hate these 1/2 or even worse 1/4 cross stitches and as for outlining....yuk! Hope your hand starts to feel better soon. Nice new header too!
ReplyDeleteOh what a shame your hand is still bothering you!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the hand pain. I have arthritis in both thumbs, so I know what it is like.
ReplyDeleteI pin baste to hand quilt, too. I just take out the pins as I go. I hope your thumb gets better. So annoying when we like to stitch. I hate x stitch with lots of half stitches, too. But I guess it's worth it for your son. LOL
ReplyDeleteMy thumb acts up and I take an Icy Hot patch, cut a strip and wrap it around my thumb joint - does the job for me, plus some copper compression gloves. I am like you I am in the Studio all day long every day! Retirement is fun until we get ourselves overloaded! But of course, I would never do that! LOL. Hugs
ReplyDeleteSorry your fingers are hurting, hopefully your normal remedy works and you are back to full capacity soon.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about your thumb. I also have thumb pain and have learned it rest it when it gets bad. Currently however I am resting it because I broke my wrist just before Christmas and am in a cast. No stitching going on here. My husband had to finish the binding on our grandsons Christmas gift. I have trained him well.
ReplyDeleteYour Family Portrait is darling, Kathy and I am so honored that you stitched it . Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope your fingers feel better soon; that is what usually slows my hand stitching down. I have never tried a silicone needle puller. I will have to give it a try. Thank you for the tip. The Dude is looking awesome- lots of teeny stitches. Looking forward to seeing it finished. Have a very lovely Sunday.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear you are having such pain in your thumb. I know how pain in the fingers and hands make it so difficult to stitch. I hope you heal soon
ReplyDeleteSorry your hand is hurting. Take care and rest for some days from stitching or hand quilting. This works better for me.
ReplyDeleteIdon't like 1/4 stitching also.
Love your snowman family. So sorry about your thumb. Hope it gets to feeling better soon! The thing about that Voltaren cream is you have to keep applying it. I use it sometimes for my knee.
ReplyDeleteA bit of castor oil rubbed onto the thumb and then massaging it for a bit, will get deep into the tissue and bone. It helps to reduce the pain and stiffness. Hope you are back to your normal self in no time. Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteI have sore thumb joints too, at times, and yes it does impact my hobbies at times! The gel works sometimes very well, others not so well.
ReplyDeleteLove your header art and the little stitchery you're working on. Stay warm!
So sorry to hear that pain has been stopping you from stitching! My husband and sons would LOVE LOVE LOVE your Big Lebowsky "The Dude" cross stitch. They crack themselves up quoting from that movie all the time, and we were joking about how my son needed a rug for his college dorm because it would "really tie the whole room together." Is that a commercial pattern or did you make it yourself?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this would help for you but I was having a lot of hand pain from crocheting and a chiropractor was a huge help. I had gotten to the point that I could only crochet an hour or less a day and had to wear gloves and tape my tension finger. The chiro worked all of it out. I can crochet for hours now and I go see her every month! I went to her originally for a foot problem but she adjusts everything and I got the hand fixed as a bonus.
ReplyDeleteLove your new header photo!
ReplyDeleteStitching eyes is the hardest thing to do whether in embroidery, needlepoint or cross stitch. Some needlepointers have to leave the eyes for others to stitch because they have to look right. It would be a challenge to make those wee little stitches and I totally get your frustration. I hope there are not too many eyes in this piece! But as you say your son will like it which will make it worth the effort.
Love your snowmen. Sure hope you get relief from the pain soon.
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