Originally Posted by KyKat
I'm not actually good at it, but I like to do it, so I do it and the quilts are going to be for my sisters, so they won't mind if they are not good. No quilt police here. I use a metal thimble on my "pushing" finger, but on my needle-gripping finger, I don't, and that's the one that's split now.
Try using a latex finger cot or the cut off finger from latex or nitrile gloves. Those give you more grip, so you don't have to squeeze so hard and you minimize injuries to your fingers.
If you have long fingernails or tend to get an unpleasant sweaty feeling under the fingertip protector, it's easy to use a small sharp pair of scissors to cut a small hole centred over your fingernail. That gives your fingernail room and also keeps your fingertip from getting sweaty.