I saw a demo of the Thimblelady needles, technique and thimbles on an Alex Anderson show years ago that prompted me to try them. I first bought the cheap plastic version of her thimble to see how I liked it. LOVED it and have since bought 2 of the stainless steel thimbles. Their sizing instructions I found to be very accurate. I have also used her needles. I like the fact that I can get a ton of stitches on the needle but do find that they are a bit bendy. Might be that I use W&N batting which is known to be difficult to hand quilt (although I have no problem). I use Roxanne needles - usually #11 or #12. Find them very sturdy and easy to handle. But I do agree that keeping the sandwich loose in the hoop - or not using a hoop at all - makes a big difference.