Of course, best situation is to avoid injury completely, and here are some tips to keep you stitching for years to come.

1. Get an accurate diagnosis from a physician if you suspect you have a repetitive stress injury. There are many other conditions that can cause, mimic, or worsen RSI such as fibromyalgia, Lyme disease or arthritis.

2. Take frequent stretch and rest breaks while you are stitching or doing any other kind of repetitive task.

3. Try self massage tools. Self massage can actually be more effective than getting a full body massage from a masseuse. And it's cheaper, too! Some of best tools are theracane and backnobber. They are great for massaging trigger points in hard to reach places.

4. Try yoga. Even mainstream medical doctors are starting to recommend yoga for conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Yoga is something you can do even at your desk at work.

5. Eat a healthy diet. While it does not seem to be well known, a number of nutritional deficiencies can lead to tight muscles and joints.

6. Watch your posture. Poor posture is a major risk factor for RSI. When your bones are not properly aligned, then your muscles are forced to work harder to keep your body balanced and erect. Bad posture also causes stress in your spinal cord, which cuts nerves and signals to your arms and wrists. There have been studies that show connection between hunching and tendinitis/repetitive stress injuries.

7. Get a good night's sleep. Muscles that are over tired may be more prone to injury. Caffeine can also interrupt sleep as well as make muscles twitch and get tight. 8. Walk or exercise as often as you can fit in (15-45 min.) This increases circulation, and keeps your body healthier, stronger, and better able to ward off problems. Include wrist exercises with weights.

9. DO NOT work through pain! Stop immediately if you feel discomfort/tightness/pain.

A half cross stitch is normally used to attach them, and you should stitch in same direction as lower half of cross stitch. Some designs suggest that a full cross stitch is used. The difference is way that beads will lay. With a half stitch bead will sit on a slant, while with a full cross stitch hole through bead will lie up and down or sideways depending on which way you place it. Whichever you choose though, make sure you sew them all same way. Many times instructions will tell you best way to do it for your pattern. Either way, bead should be on its side though, not lay flat.

The packets that beads come in are small and do not close easily, so in order to make sure you don’t lose any, find a suitable household container, with a lid, into which you can easily dip your needle and pick up a bead. Children and animals are a great danger to safety of your beads, and beads can be a danger to them, so keep them far away from each other. A final word of caution, NEVER iron beadwork. The beads will probably break, or could melt and ruin all your hard work.