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!

I think I've used every kind of thimble over the years for various types of handwork. What I am now using and love is the stainless steel Thimblelady Thimble. They are cone shaped with an open top so you push with the pad of your finger. They are (I think) very reasonably priced for what they are (I think I paid $35). I tried their plastic one first to see how I would like the style/size. Their sizing instructions I found very accurate. Granted, I wore out the first stainless one I bought and have replaced it but still worth the $$ in my opinion. They have lasted me several years each. And if I got in the habit of using more than the couple of dimples I typically do, I'm sure they would last much longer. I also find pushing with the pad of my finger versus the top is much more comfortable and I'm able to quilt for long periods without finger pain.

I like/use them too! I buy lots of them when I see a good price so I don't run out.

I collect all kinds of thimbles and my sister brought me one back from Alaska made of seal skin - it's very comfortable to wear and I just love it! Here is a website www.rushintailor.com where you can order them for only $5.50.

I've struggled with thimbles also. I think I own one of every kind made. My problem is I don't use them for hand quilting, I use them for sewing, and I push the needle with the side of my finger, not the tip. I was using the black leather ones for a while, but the seams were on the side of my finger where I push, so sometimes the head of the needle would pop through the seam. Now I'm using a leather thimble made by Clover, the seams land on the top of my finger. So far I like this one best, although I can tell I'm eventually going to wear a hole through the side.

I think my next best thimble is the cone-shaped one I purchased from the Thimble Lady. Just takes some getting used to, I guess.

JReadman, I checked out that sealskin thimble and cannot imagine how you use it! Is that fur on the outside? How can you tell where your needle and thread are? Can you post a picture of yours, the one on that website is kind of hard to see because it's so small.

I have yet to find the perfect thimble...my fingers are wide at the end...they do not taper like most peoples. So have a hard time finding one I like to wear. Have not been using one much lately and when I do, I use a metal one that is a bit big so the tip of my finger is not smashed till it hurts. I also have use the leather thimble that is actually shaped like a metal thimble. It has a metal end...I really like it but the metal came loose and fell out.

I hand quilt and cannot get used to any kind of thimble, no matter how hard I've tried. I remember my Gram would use a thimble to sew on even a simple button. I put one on and it's like I've developed two left hands. My fingers get so sore, especially when I push too hard and the needle's eye penetrates the fingertip. Feels so good when I stop!

I'm new to hand quilting and I have tried many. the best for me are the jelly with the metal top or the leather with the coin thing. The leather stretches and comes off. So I have used the little rubber office finger to help hold it on. I also bought this thing that fits on like a ring with a round disk it doesn't work well at all.

Good luck

i found this nice wedsite for hand thimbles ,it made of rubber but light on finger and thick so needle won,t poke through. it,s called PQF thimbles and web is called www.customthimbles.com and there phone # is 605-583-2525 there shop is in San Francisco, ca

I just bought a clover leather one because my other leather one kept falling off and the metal plate came out and on...my only complaint is that I use the thimble on my thumb and I have big fingers so it doesn't fit great. The clover was the only one i could buy here because that's all the quilt store carried. I will say it's very nice and comfortable and for 15 dollars Im glad it is! Where the seam is I will never get poked either!

I use the jelly thimbles. I have several different sizes as my fingers seem to change sizes with the weather!

I have a leather one with brass in the bottom to push with. I love it. don't know where I got it and would buy another if I could find it. sorry I can't help you.

I have the same problem. Can't find a thimble that fits. Plus never learned how to use one. On National Quilting Day, I was at a huge show with many guilds showing their work. I asked several of the quilters, and the majority said they use bandaids! Some of them layered the bandaids. Said it worked better for them than the thimbles. I thought that was interesting!

I like the sticky leather dots for my pusher finger. If I need something underneath I like the small, smooth, stick on metal dot. I can put both exactly where I need protection and not feel like i have lost all feeling and control of my fingers.

Believe it or not I tape a dime over the tip of my finger Then tape around the finger to hold it in place. I agree about the leather thimble and just can't get used to metal or plastic

those are called "coin" thimbles! They are the best!

The leather thimble I like most is: Clover Natural Fit leather thimble in size small. I have big fingers but this works good & the leather is thicker than other ones I've tried. Also in time it will get a little bigger. margee

Hamlock: I to have trouble keeping some thinbles on. I put frist-aid tape on the inside of my thinble this help and this way I can pull it out or add more.

I have a small drawer devoted to thimbles I've purchased over the years in hopes of finding something that works for me. So far none are useful. I put on a bandaide occasionally when I need protection.

Don't know what's wrong but my photos won't download to show you. :( There is a little bit of fur on the outside but I have no problem telling where the needle & thread are. It's super comfortable and can be turned to wear on the side of your finger as some have posted they prefer to do.

I use my mother's old thimble. She was a tailor and her thimble has no top on it. You have to learn to use the side to propel it through the fabric. It fits perfectly and because it is airy it is so comfortable to use.

I use the leather thimble by Clover. I really like how thick it is so the needle isn't sticking me. I found a leather thimble in Paducah at the quilt show years ago, it was the best one I ever had, but I wore it out.

Here you go ~


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Oh Wow! I had forgotten that I bought one of those when we visited Alaska a couple years ago. I haven't used it yet. I'll have to find it and give it a try. I just thought it was a really neat souvenir.

I thimbles are hard to find that fit a finger that isn't straight or has arthritis in them. I just keep looking and buying hoping to find one I can use.

JReadman, thanks for posting the pics! Now I understand how those thimbles work.

You're welcome!

I use the old fashioned stainless steel thimbles. When a friend's mother passed, he gave me her complete set of thimbles. One evening one slipped off my finger and landed on the carpet. DH did not see it and stepped on it, bending it slightly and changing the shape from perfectly round to almost oval. That was the exact shape of my finger! It has never slipped off again and I guard it like gold.

I remember a woman saying her mom used to run her new thimbles over with her car to get the right shape. I've considered doing this!

I found my Thimble Lady cone thimble yesterday. Tried it on and immediately remembered why I don't use it. The cone is shaped perfectly for my finger, but the indentations for the needle are on the bottom of the cone, where the pad of my finger is. I push the needle with the side of my finger, and the cone is smooth in that spot.

I can't help you with this one. I'm still not comfortable using a thimble. I keep trying but a thimble only seems to get in my way. Guess I'll keep trying and maybe one day...........

I too, use a leather thimble, by Blue Ribbon Notions, the one with the elastic band to keep it on