I do this. I keep my nails short. But my thumb nails are just a hair longer so I can feel the needle point and then guide it back through to the other side. My thumb nails looks pretty bad when I am hand quilting quite a lot.

Kyia

K, I too use a Roxanne thimble like yours. But I was young and foolish and bought mine in gold. It is great. I used to have long fake nails, but nowdays nurses can't wear them, so it's a moot point. But I still love my thimble.

[quote=gaigai]Well, not the REAL nurses who work in hospitals, anyway! :wink:

Yeah, that would be me! And I guess I'm going to be working a lot more than I had planned, because I just found out my lab needs to have surgery to the tune of $2,000.00. Yes, that was two thousand dollars. Evidently she has "laryngeal paralysis". Very early, but what happens is eventually the dog can't breathe. The surgery is to tie open one of the vocal cords so air can pass. Fortunately it's early, and I have time to earn some big bucks. The things we do for our furbabies!!!! So if I'm not around on the QB much for the next month or so, it's because I'm trying to work extra. Fortunately I went to see MY doc last week, and he gave me some stay-awake medicine!

Oh poor doggie! AND I'm sorry for your wallet too Gai! I guess you don't have pet insurance? I used to have it in England but vets are much cheaper here so we don't bother.

i keep mine short. just easier on me and the stuff i do

with long fingernails, - know just what you mean...OWWWY!!!! :cry:

My nails are about the same length as yours, and I wear a finger guard on the left forefinger, because I tended to let the needle hit the back of that nail and was ruining it. I have never been able to keep going long enough to develop a callous. On the right hand, I wear an open backed thimble, as I could never keep a regular shaped thimble on that finger, my nail was always hitting the top inside.

I keep my nails short. I find if I let them grow out long I end up scratching myself, mostly in the eye. The last time I scratched my eye with my French Manicured fingernail it cost over $600 and I was miserable for two weeks. Not worth it to me.

[/quote] Re finger nails, I keep mine short but that's because I garden as well and often without gloves, so I have to be able to get the dirt out of my nails easily before I can sew! [quote]

Me, too, I totally forget the gloves when I'm walking about and of course I always find a weed that needs pulling or a plant that needs some mulch moved. The other problem is my nails are very weak, all the water and soap for caring for Roy kept my hands raw and bleeding a lot until I finally found Dial green tea and honey pump soaps. That helped a lot.
Sharon