besides hurting and paining??
I did search this board up and down and "learned" all about handquilting I could.
In the meantime handquilting works quite fine if only this problem with my left hand under the quilt would not be!
I also watched videos but none of them showed the movements of the left hand.
Do I really have to prick my finger every stitch to make sure the needle made it all the way through? The callus is so bad that it start cracking and hitting with the needle one of the raw spots.....................
I tried with this plastic protectors and with tape, but then I loose sensation and it doesnt work.

Is there a trick? Please let me know
Granny

The best tip I got was here at this forum - krazy glue. Since I started using that on my "under finger", I can quilt for much longer without the pain that I used to feel.

Is this a special glue? I am in switzerland and never heard of it.

I do not prick my underneath finger, I simply feel for the needle to ensure it is going through all 3 layers. This usually involves scraping the needle on the pad of my index finger. I do have a callous but really not much more then a bit of skin that is slightly harder and not quite as sensitive as my other fingers. I do occasionally prick my finger but try not to make a habit of it. So there is no pain or fatigue involved with my underneath hand. Additionally I also sometimes use my underneath finger to create a tiny little hump that I pinch with my above finger to push the needle through to create my stitches. An excellent book is The Essential Quilter. Can be found on Amazon.

Many people can handquilt without feeling the needle on their underneath hand. I am not one of them. The ones that don't need to feel the needle have used leather thimbles, bandaids, liquid skin, a layer of superglue, the rubber finger toppers that bank tellers used to use, and a vast array of other items to protect their underneath hand. I have been quilting for around 20 years and never found the need for underneath hand protection. I quilt in a 14" lap hoop, not a frame.

Or superglue. There are various brands. It comes in a small bottle and is clear.

I'm one of those who has to feel the needle come through the layers.

I use my thumb-nail. Top hand pushes the needle through & guides until I have the stitch the length I want; the bottom hand/thumb-nail feels for the needle to double-check the length before pushing up.

PS - I can't stand most thimbles. The only one I can use is that stick-on one that looks like a mini-shield. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avU_xJl-XEU

is where I lernt. About halfway through, the cameralady crawls under the frame...

I use my nail to "feel" that the needle is thru and guide it up? Not my finger tho... No callouses or pricks.

I use this type of thimble. I am right handed so I use one on my middle finger for pushing the needle, and I have another one on my left index finger to use to feel the needle touch the thimble. No more hurt fingers.

thank you all so much.
I have the largest collection of contemporary thimbles :oops: :oops: and not one of them works for my underneath finger as I need the sensation (not the pain!) of the needle. For the sewing hand I ended up with roxannes for the finger and the ted storm for the thumb and that works great.

Because of my job (chiropodist) I have to have short fingernails so that is not an option either and in the video I could not figure out where the needle was.
I will go trough all the glue I have in the house