Bebe,
I guess I handquilt so often that my callouses never go away. One advantage or disadvantage of getting older is that I have less feeling in my fingers to begin wth. Occasionsly I stick myself really hard. Years ago I volunteered at our local school and stubbed my finger on the Mimograph machine. It bled like a stuck pig because I had actually ripped the callous off of my finger. It healed ASAP. When working on a frame I use both hands so I have callouses on both hands. Using both hands makes reaching a lot easier.