What kind of thimbles work best for you?
 

I have been using leather thimbles for many years, but I seem to wear a thin place on them and wind up with the eye end of the needle in my finger ... OUCH! They also seem to stretch and fall off. I usually wind up wrapping them in electrical tape, which makes them less pliable. I've tried plastic ones and metal ones, but they just do not stay on and are uncomfortable. I'd love to hear what you use and find comfortable. I'm in the market to try anything once, just to save my poor, sore finger! Any advice is welcome! :)

I don't know if they make them any more, but I like the Jellies. I bought a bunch several years ago when I was showing kids how to hand stitch.

Use the leather one, if I use a metal one I am forever switching fingers to push with.

I have bad luck finding thinbles that work for me, as well. I'm using a regular metal thimble right now, and it's too big for me, so I wrap a scrap of fabric around my finger first to help it stay on. I ordered a shashiko thimble, that sits at the base of the finger, hopefully that'll work better for me.

I have many thimbles and like the leather one with the round metal "spot" on one side the best. I have also used those rubber fingers for office use that come in a package of assorted sizes. I think I got the last ones at Walmart. They don't last for a really long time but are cheap, seem to stay on and make pulling the needle through easier.

The Protect & Grip Thimble that I found on Connecting Threads works well. It is a jelly base with a metal indented top. The jell holds the thimble to the finger.

when I finally started appliquing, I needed a thimble for the first time in my life. Larger sized needles, like I used for garment sewing, I never used a thimble. I experimented with almost any thimble I could find. Turns out, I like the little leather dots that have glue on the back so they stick onto your finger. They can be placed in the precise spot on my finger that I use to push the needle. They last a while but not forever, come in packages of 12, I think, and I tend to buy them in bulk.

i like the leather coin thimbles, too. When they stretch out, I soak them in water to shrink them back up.

My finger sweats, if I use anything but leather. When it gets thin, you can sew a new "side" over it, using a piece of leather patch. If you can't find a leather patch, look for an inexpensive (or old) leather work glove!

I have a brass Roxanne's thimble. Fits nice and snug, should last forever, and the dimpled surface actually grips the needle to help pull it through. Pricey, but worth every penny!