I have a thimble collection...it's very pretty.. it lives in a special lamp my dear papa designed and made for me. Use them.........NEVER.. thimbles make me crazy. OK.. thimbles make me CRAZIER. I used bandaids, I like the nexcare ones, or if you can find it, there's a kind of pink plastic like tape that comes in various sizes. It sticks like mad and is nice and tough and only occasionally does a needle puncture it. If I need something to push a needle through, I use the fingernail on my middle finger. This has the added benefit of keeping me from biting my nails.. gotta have them for stitching. :P