when I finally started appliquing, I needed a thimble for the first time in my life. Larger sized needles, like I used for garment sewing, I never used a thimble. I experimented with almost any thimble I could find. Turns out, I like the little leather dots that have glue on the back so they stick onto your finger. They can be placed in the precise spot on my finger that I use to push the needle. They last a while but not forever, come in packages of 12, I think, and I tend to buy them in bulk.