I have been hand quilting my work for some time. I've built up quite a callous (sp?) on my index, middle and thumb on both hands. Unfortunately, I live in the Northeast and the cold is reaking havic on my skin. My callouses are peeling and hand quilting has become very painful lately. I find it very relaxing to quilt and don't want to stop. I've tried numerous over the counter lotions. Is there someone out there who knows a solution or product that might solve my problem? Please don't say thimble. It doesn't work for me because I use my fingers to feel where the needle is going in the quilt layers. Any ideas?

I can't use a thimble either...they drive me batty... I put up with holes in my fingers, etc.... one thing I use other than regular lotions is udder balm or bag balm. You should give that a try. I have recently heard of thimble-like stick-on dots for your fingers but have yet to find them and try them out... don't know what they are called...something like finger dots maybe? I will try to remember where I heard that and find out what they are called.

I am a old er quilder I had trouble my hand tell now I cane hand quilt so I am learing to do it on a michenNEVA

I have the same problem as the rest of you. And some time it helps to put a piece of cloth tape over my fingers. Not a real big piece and I can still fill the needle that way.
Misty

Okay, This is going to sound silly...
Dierdra, of Roxanne Int., recommended using Preparation-H to heal those owies we get while quilting.
I've not tried it because I use a thimble now but her logic made sense at the time. Can't hurt to try it.

By the way, I'm an old "I can't use a thimble" person but the thimble I got from Roxanne's is the best. I use it all the time now. Just a little unsolicited testimony. :D

You can try sanding down the rough spots with an emery board.
I do that to the corners of my thumbs. Due to my work {nurse}
I have to wash my hands alot. My hands get dry and the corners
of thumbs get thick skin similar to callouses.
I sand them down occassionally to make them softer,
then treat with a good cuticle cream.

I have use that for my hands and it dose help in fact I use it for a lot of thing I have dry patchas on my skin and it helps them some of you saiid you cant use thimble FON_and potor hace come out with thimble it fit just on tip tour finger I LOVE THEM I dont sew a lolby hand I got each my DD abd DDIL one for X-MAS they love them NEVA

Well, I've heard of Preperation H for fever blisters so why not?
kathy

Preparation H is good for burns, too. My son got scalded real bad by a car radiator, and the Dr. said to use that in an emergency. Said there is something in it to increase oxygen for healing. As for the fingers, I use a thimble. Took a heck of a long time to get used to it, but it saves alot of pain. I still get callouses on the needle fingers. Just taking a day off helps, but who wants to do that? Otherwise, bag balm is my treatment of choice.

Well, I think they are called "thimble pads" here is a web site that has a bunch of ideas listed and this is one of them.

http://www.quiltingassistant.com/handsavers.html
Quilting Assistant : Your Hands And Fingers Need Protection

And found a site you can order them from:

http://www.nordicneedle.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=NN&Product_Cod e=6991
Leather Thimble Pads (Pkg/12): Nordic Needle

Windblown--I know what you mean about "quilting fingers" and I used bag balm when we had animals, but because I was alergic to sulfa of all kinds I had to quit using it. Then remembered when I lived in a different state that a few ladies I knew worken in a factory putting boxes together. The edges would cut their fingers badlyy till someone told them to put Cam Pheneque on them as many times a day & nite as they could . and not stain anything, for a few weeks. After that if they used it 2-4 times a day the boxes would not cut them and it worked. They kept a bottle at home and at work so they could use it at lunch time etc.. I know I used it for a while till we didnt have farm chores to do and it worked.
Just remember not to get in eyes, Hope this helps. :-)

Imak

I use the firgerdots also and love them! I get them a Wal Mart sewing dept.,Maryjo's in Gastonia,NC,Craft stores also has them in the sewing
dept. You can reuse them also.

They sound like a great idea, but not available at walmart here. They only carry small amount of quilting supplies. I will keep checking as what they have changes every week and sellls really fast.
Meanwhile I have been using shampoo for dishes. It's mild and has a grease cutter. My second thing I do for all the punctures and cuts and cracks in my hands is to rub them with olive oil, and put on rubber gloves till it soaks in. Most hand creams sting even those with no purfume. the fact that mineral oil comes from a process of gas refining gave me the idea of trying something natural.
I suppose you could eat salad with your fingers while wating for it to soak in. LOL
This is the latest in my search to help my poor hands in the northeast winters.

I have some of the dots for my left hand, to catch the needle. The problem is that my Granny taught me to 'feel' the tip of the needle and the dot's don't allow the feeling. Granny also taught me to use the thimble early on (I begged to learn when I was about 7 or 8) She said the only way to be able to cook meals later without the added liquid from the hand/finger, was to use a thimble. If they fit properly, they are like an extension of your hand, not an impediment. ('course, this woman, my Granny taught me to clean and scrub with bare hands before there were rubber gloves, so now I can't really feel anything is "clean" until I burn the skin off my hands! sigh :shock:

Sharon

This may sound silly, but try several coats of nail polish on your under finger where the needle hits. It tear up more polish than skin, and I can still feel the needle. When my finger gets real sore, I switched fingers, then used my nails to stop the needle, which was not good on them. This works better.

Well I must be doing something wrong because I seldome actually stick my finger. I use a thimble on my pushing finger but not underneath, as soon as I feel it touch, I turn and go back up. Maybe I quilt a lot slower than most? I use a very short needle so I can only load 2 stitches at a time, does that make a difference?
kathy

Thanks, Norah, I'm going to try it. I rarely put the polish I have on my finger nails as I wear it off handing fabrics and paper to much. This will work better!
Sharon

Try using mole skin on your fingers. It is a liquid that you put on and when it dries it doesn't restrict movement. Hikers use it to keep from getting blisters or cuts when they hike long distances. You can get it at drug stores and sports stores.

It worked for the throw I am doing.

Sorry, didn't mean to post twice.

It's ok, I got rid of the first one. Boo

Nina, that's a good idea to try also. I have some in the cabinet from the days I was able to hike and go about with the Boy Scouts. Thanks,
Sharon

Have any of you tried the leather thimble from Wal-Mart? It has worked wonders for me. I think it can be helpful if you get in the habit of using it. I do better with it. I cannot get used to the metal thimble. But, I love the leather one. Try it.

I can't make that rascal stay in the right place, it either turns or just pops off the end of finger. I've gotten used to the metal one and don't even notice it anymore
kathy

You probably forgot to attach the lederhosen type suspenders to your thimble.

*L*

tim in san jose

splain yorself tim. it has a tiny peice of elastic to tie the two ends together, what else are you supposed to do other than slide it over your finger?

he was just being his usual smarty-pants (but completely adorable) self and teasing you.

i tried the leather thimble, too, and had the same problem you did.

i haven't yet found a thimble that worked for me. but ... i'm 99.999999% sure the problem is me - not the thimbles. except for the "fact" that they all seem to be designed for little-bitty women with teeny-tiny fingers. all but the thumb-size are too small; thumb size is too big. adjustables cut off my circulation. can't win.

i just live with the pain and hope i don't bleed all over it when i stick myself. :shock:

patrice...thanks for clearing that up. it's what i thought but weren't fer sure

Thank you Patrice. I tried putting a thimble on my Bernina but that didn't work so well either.

I do have a book on hand quilting, but so far, the urge hasn't hit me.

I finished cutting out all the squares for making my flying geese this morning before work. Dang, these people seem to think they won't pay me if I don't come to work.

Well, off to program some robots.

tim in san jose

I know how it is, Tim. My boss also seems to have this strange notion stuck in her head that i should not only come to work, but do my job while i'm there. Confuses the heck outa me, I must say. never heard of anything so illogical.

Don't they know we have important quilting to do?

tim

I like a leather one for catching, sometimes. Kathy, put that baby in water then mold it to your finger. I like the metal on the pushing finger, cause those betweens can catch under the nail sometimes, but if it's really leather, soak it in water then mold, as it dries, continue to make sure it's drying to your finger size. Waala, it will stay on. If it doesn't mold to the finger........it's not really leather.

Boy Scouting comes in handy for some things! :)

i'll try the water but maybe i don't have the right one. it's a tiny piece of leather in a plastic frame that's tied together with thread elastic

Do any of you have trouble with the needle poking through the leather thimbles, or did I just get a poor quality?

Hi there,

I was in the Hancocks store in Tucson yesterday and saw the little stick on thimble dots. they are designed to be used on the left hand that goes under the quilt to keep from sticking your fingers. Don't know what they are called but don't see why you couldn't use them on your thimble finger to. I am going to try them because I have a callus on my thimble finger too.

Jane Sisk
Tucson, AZ

I have some of the dots if anyone wants to try them, pm me, I'll gladly give them up. I don't like them at all. I AM going to go try some of the liquid bandage as my fingers are bleeding again today after working on the niece quilt. I want to work on it, I do, I don't want to quit for fingers to heal. It has been awhile since I did the hand quilting so the callus all wore off.

Just let me know, gals and gents, I'll share!

I appreciate the offer, but the mighty Bernina doesn't need them and I am not the type to hand quilt. Except maybe that Japanese style someday.

tim in san jose

I use bag balm for my hands and also, my feet, works great. :mrgreen:

Sharon just read your advice....a couple pages back....and laughed...my granny taught me the same way... :lol: Ain't life a hoot?

Hi Sandra,
We had the best of young lives, we lived around our grannies and she taught us good things. I don't know about you, but my grandies live to far away to learn from me. I have offered but they have to come here, I'm sure not going to fly 'cross country to often. lol

Life is a lot of circles, some good, some better left closed, don't you think?

I appreciate the offer, but the mighty Bernina doesn't need them and I am not the type to hand quilt. Except maybe that Japanese style someday.

tim in san jose[/quote]

You just don't know what you are missing, Tim, the hand quilting slips in a bag or a drawer and the boss never has to see it. Blood spots on the keyboard are hard to explain sometimes, but hey one of life's little pleasures.

Give it a try, my sister "the witch" can get 9 stitches on her quilting betweens needle, I've only ever gotten 7 stitches on it. Those little needles are getting harder and harder to hold though so I may have to borrow you Bernina. K?
Sharon

Know what you mean...mine are scattered afar as well...and I just never liked to fly. There is still time and the girls love the quilts...hope springs eternal...Such wonderful memories.