There is the Thimble Lady's long needle , very loose in the frame style, there is a short needle, looser in the frame style. i have been hand quilting for years. go for consistent stitch size first, then shorten the length of the stitches. i like the leather thimble for right hand and go ahead and go for callouses on the under finger. seems like the prick lets me know when to rock the needle back up. though now i do a hybrid of the short needle and Thimble lady style, using a short needle and i don't get the prick pain so much. Whee, what a run on sentence. Oh well, i'm not changing it. i also domestic FMQ when i'm trying to get something done faster.