That one customer who made me change my seam rolling technique

Old timer at a shop in Cleveland told me I was being too gentle with my seams, said I needed to really lean into the roller. After I fixed a seam he pointed out the difference was night and day, I started putting my full body weight behind it instead of just wrist action. Anyone else have a customer call them out on something that actually made them better?

4 comments

4 Comments

ellis.faith6d ago

Wow, full body weight? That's wild honestly. I'm sitting here imagining someone literally throwing their whole self into a seam roller like they're trying to flatten a stubborn rug. I've been doing seams for about eight years and I always just used wrist and a little forearm pressure. It never even crossed my mind that leaning in with your body weight could be a thing. That Cleveland old timer must have been doing this since before rollers had handles. You definitely got a good tip though, I bet your seams lay down way flatter now. I might have to try this but I'm nervous I'll tip over or crack my roller.

the_simon6d ago

ellis.faith you said you're imagining someone throwing their whole self into it and honestly that's pretty much what I'm doing now. It felt so awkward at first I thought I was gonna look like an idiot. But that old timer was right, the difference is real. You don't have to go full body weight right away, just start leaning a little more from your shoulders and see how it feels. I was scared I'd crack my roller too but mine held up fine so far.

stellaperry6d ago

I started putting my shoulder into it after a similar talk with an old timer who showed me the damage on his own wrists from years of doing it wrong. Once I shifted my weight from my legs up through my core instead of just my arm, my seams started holding way better and I stopped getting that ache in my forearm by lunchtime. It felt weird at first like I was overdoing it, but after a week it became second nature and I could feel the difference in how clean the seam laid down. You might need to adjust your stance a little so you're not bent over awkwardly, but leaning into the roller from your whole body just works better.

milam486d ago

and honestly that old timer probably saved your wrists from long term damage too, i learned the hard way when i was in my twenties and ended up with tendonitis from using too much wrist action. the full body thing feels goofy at first but once you get the hang of it your seams stay put way better and you don't ache after a full day of rolling. i've seen plenty of rollers crack from people leaning wrong but if you shift your weight gradually you'll be fine.