Originally Posted by lab fairy

I never got the hang of a thimble either. I handquilt with a pair of needle nose pliers (mine, not husbands whose are really dirty :) ). After my Mother-in-law taught me how to hand quilt, I caught her sneaking a pair of needle nose piers into the church quilting bee. I got a good giggle from that since I got so many strange looks.

I use the pliers to push the needle through when I need it using the groove between the jaws. If the needle needs a good tug (I never get a good grip for some reason) I just clamp them down and pull. Maybe a little unorthodox but works great.