I don’t know about you, but my favorite daily exercise is pushing myself away from the sewing machine long enough to stand at the ironing board for a minute to press that pesky seam allowance…
The older you get, the more you have to be aware of swelling ankles, not that I’m a day over 25 myself ; ) I found this out a few summers ago, when I was stitching a quilt top for my good friend Sue Nickels. The top is done using Sue’s brilliant method of machine applique and the entire design for “Jessi’s Holly Basket” is meticulously blanket-stitched in different colors of thread. All in all, it took twenty hours to complete over several days and a severely swollen left ankle (I use my right foot on the pedal).
As much as I love to sit at my sewing center and do anything having to do with quilting, I have to get up and keep the circulation flowing. With Quilt Market, new quilt samples, and new patterns ominously looming, I need to have my nose to the quilting grind stone. No time for even a diversionary old Jimmy Stewart movie to keep me company – I’ve got to work, work, work! I set up my sewing center in a U-shape so the ironing board is on my right and the cutting mat is on the left, with the machine in the middle to be as efficient as possible. I just forgot one thing — swelling ankles and tootsies.
Yesterday I spent six hours at the machine, and today, well, today isn’t over yet and it’s dinner time. WebGuy came in to see how I was coming along, and to show me the layout for my eNewsletter, that will premiere on October 1st (way cool, by the way!). Along with him came our little shadow, Piper, the fat quarter retriever — with her leash in her mouth and a come-hither look in her eyes. 
She was so darn cute that I had to take her for a walk, and came back with a new appreciation for a little exercise. I think Piper’s out to save me from myself.
Not only was it hard to get the clog back on my right foot, but my blood sugar was up from too much sitting. A little walk around the block helped the swelling and brought my blood sugar down 30 points. I gotta remember that – especially when all I can think about is the next element to the quilt that I have to get done. So beginning tomorrow, my self-imposed Doctor’s orders will be to set a timer for one hour and will take princess Piper for a walk around the block, and repeat that as long as I am sitting at the sewing center. It’ll make her happy, and save my circulation. You know that old adage, “If your dog is overweight, you’re not walking enough.” It applies to circulation too, so don’t forget to take a break, especially with all of the holiday gift-making coming up.
So, until next time, Happy Quilting!