Machingers
 

I am going on a 4 day free motion and ruler work retreat in Feb. On the class requirement list is a pair of machingers or equivalent.

I am going to have to order these online as there isn't a LQS near me that have these so before I order, how true is the fit? On Leah Day's site, there is a download for sizing chart but how accurate is this? I have arthritis in my fingers and can't stand tight gloves but I don't want them so loose that they are of no benefit or unsafe.

HettyB

Hetty,
I have the same problem. For years I bought the gardening gloves with the dimples on the palm thinking that it doesn't matter. But, I finally broke down this last summer and bought a pair at the quilt show. I got my true size and love them! They are a comfortable knit fabric and don't hurt at all in comparison. I was greatly surprised. You would not want them larger than your size. I would not want to struggle with excess fabric that could potentially get caught in the needle. Have fun at your class.

I wear a small ... and I think we just went with the outline template on the package.
Though I did have the benefit to try them on in the store and compare to the other size.
That "small" sure boosted my ego as I don't think I have ever had small in anything before! :)

They are nice and stretchy, so while tight, they do not feel restrictive.
I think you may find them helpful for your arthritis.
I find them quite comfortable to wear, almost soothing and relaxing on my hands.

Definitely, you do not want them loose .... visions of quilting it into your work here!

Good Luck with your four day retreat ... how exciting!!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]587596[/ATTACH]I don't know if this will help but I take the S/M on this chart.

Hetty, I bought the size that is the same as my gloves for wearing out in the cold.
They are fantastic! Very comfortable. I can't machine quilt w/o them.

I love Machingers gloves but the smell gets to me! Super comfortable, can wear them for hours but the box they live in stinks to high heaven. trying to decide if I want to look for a better option.

I bought mine online too, so I just guessed my hands might fall into the small/ medium size. I was right. I love them and now can't FMQ without them! They fit "like a glove"... pun intended:) What I like most is that my hands don't overheat or get sweaty wearing them. They are breathable and comfy. I never noticed any smell from them, and I bought mine while I was pregnant, with a super sharp pregnancy sense of smell!

Did you ever think that it is the box they live in that is causing the smell?

Wash them .... and don't return them to the box!

I was thinking the same. I've never noticed any smell to mine at all. And BTW, I LOVE my Machingers. I had the old style with the dimples on them. They were okay but the Machingers are amazing!

My Machingers didn't come in a box but a package. You can wash them in a load of laundry and let them air dry.

yeah i've washed them, twice, sigh. the packaging looks right and everything but maybe i got a good knock-off instead of the real ones. i keep them in a cardboard shoe box that has some other notions in it, never had any smell issues until i moved the extra pack of gloves in there.

Well, I never heard of them until I read all the comments on this post! Something new to consider!

I tried all sorts of wannabe options, because I didn't want to spend the money.
Disposable painters gloves. Finger Cots. Garden Gloves. and More.
But they were never "just right".
Alas! I gave in and bought machingers.

Once I did buy the machingers, I kind of went .....
.......... duhhhhhh, I spent all that money to save money and look at where I ended up! :)

Oh, but if I had not done that, I would not have experienced the others,
and come to the conclusion that the machingers are THE best!! (for me)

I love my machingers!i also have a variety of garden gloves that I use, but the machingers feel so much nicer. I ordered the extra small-I wore small surgical gloves when I was working as a nurse, and the XS fits great. Have fun at the retreat!

I love the purple Grab-a-roo gloves. They come in small, medium and large and fit like the Isotoner gloves of the 80's. They are stretchy but tight.

I use garden gloves with sticky fingers. I tries Machingers and the small/medium is too loose. Got my gloves at the garden show in true small and they are wonderful.

I have had my machingers about 5 or 6 years and use them for other tasks besides FMQ...sometimes they are helpful when feeding a queen size quilt under the presser foot for borders and binding. I wear the large size cuz I have large hands and long fingers. I have washed mine several times and have a new pair waiting in the wings...

There is an extra small size of Machingers.

I purchased Machingers as any other glove for sizing. Originally I had picked up the Fons and Porter FMQ gloves which I still use on occasion but needed a second pair so wound up getting the Machingers.

Like so many others, I love my Machingers, AND I use them for more than free-motion quilting. Good luck with yours!!

A few years ago a quilt teacher recommended Machingers - which I duly bought - did gasp at the price. On a retreat I needed some and couldn't find them - so rushed to Morrisons and bought a 99pence pair of gardening gloves - worked a treat ! still can't find the Machingers !!!!

My Machinger's don't have any odor at all. Can't figure that poster's problem. Weird, huh?

Mine cost less then $8 at the quilt shop. On Amazon they are about $7, JoAnns they are about $6. I would never pay more then $8 for a pair.

Just converted £13.89 and it comes up at $19.60 on Ebay !! Our hobby is quite expensive in the UK. If I researched it further maybe I could find some cheaper.

Dotty, how much would it cost to ship to you? I would be happy to help. I know gloves don't cost that much!

My DH is in a color corps (you know, the guys who march in parades carrying flags) and he gave me a pair of his gloves that he no longer needed. They have the rubber dots on the palms and fingers, and I cut the finger tips off so that I would be able to actually use my hands. So those who can't find the Machingers might look for a shop that sells flags and such; they would probably have the gloves for the color corps.

WOW - thank you so much for your very kind reply and I believe ladies with our wonderful hobby around the world are just so generous. To be honest the gardening gloves are absolutely fine and work very well. I don't do a lot of quilting as I have a wonderful lady who is very reasonable with her Longarm Quilting charges and makes a much better job than I can achieve. She has done quite a few quilts for me now - including a Sylvia's Bridal Sampler and a Loyal Union Sampler ( by Jennifer Chiaverini ) - so big quilts ! I could never have been able to do them on my home machine - even though it has quite a big harp space.
Here is a link to my SBS
http://www.amiga.talktalk.net/
Many thanks again and great to talk to you !

see that's why I'm wondering if somehow I either got a good knock-off or a bad pair? Cause they have that awful plasticky smell that's so nauseating! I've washed them and no avail. I may have to just chuck them and figure out something else

Me too. I have all those, plus some dobie pads with elastic sewn on. None to me work as well as the machingers. Mine don't smell. I washed them by putting them on and using some Dawn and washing like I was doing my hands, then rinsed well and hung to dry. Got mostly clean and kept whatever it is that makes them machingers.

Try storing them with a dryer sheet (such as Bounty). I use these sheets when I store my suitcases, shoes, etc.

I got my Machingers gloves on Amazon. Got a large - they are slightly big but work well. Do think they're very helpful and don't have any odor.

I can’t help you with the size. I love my Machingers I don’t FMQ without them. I find my hands and shoulders get
Much less tired when I wear them

I'm so glad this topic came up as I had a "happy accident/light bulb moment" a few months ago. I, too have debated about buying the gloves, but the bulk of them just didn't feel right. I'm in the process of learning and practicing my fmc. So, to my happy accident--honey! Cleaning the counter one day after a honey spill, I touched it first before realizing it was there. It seemed to have as much tack as a sticky note, hmmm...

I mixed up a mixture of about a teaspoon of honey with a little water, a little less than a teaspoon, rubbed it between my palms and on my fingertips until air dry but still sticky, and proceeded to my practice piece. It worked! Just enough tack to keep my hands from sliding, and easy to lift my hands and fingertips from my practice piece.

Pro's: as above
Cons: 1. Everything you touch, especially the hand wheel and the presser foot lifter gets sticky. Solution: Keep a damp washcloth next to the machine to wipe your hands and machine. 2. Allergies: Don't try this if you're allergic to bees or honey. Solution: Mix up a solution of sugar water--equal parts granulated sugar and water, warm until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is clear and the same consistency as the honey water. 3. Bugs. If you live in an area where the sugar attracts insects (I don't), this might not be a good option, or you could mix the honey with either white vinegar or rubbing alcohol, that might be a deterrent, as neither of these will harm your fabric. I haven't tried that.

Finally, I don't know about you, but my hands get very dry just by handling fabric, coupled with living in a dry climate. Don't forget to lotion your hands often, using the damp washcloth makes my hands drier than usual.

If you try this, will you post your opinion?