I use the little round leather thimbles that stick to your finger. Though the stickiness wears off after a while, I can use the same one for what seems like a long time. I put it exactly where I want it on my finger. I'd tried so many thimbles, including cheap and not-so-cheap, before I settled on this. They are pretty thick so puncturing through them has not been a problem for me. When I tried handquilting, I used this on my upper hand and the little metal stick on on my underhand.