sewlilly

I have been hand quilting a memory quilt for my sweet niece who recently lost her husband. My poor fingers are paying the price. My index finger has a blister on it and the other fingers are also sore. I've tried to use a thimble but I can't get the hang of it. I just can't feel the thread and needle.

Help please! How do I toughen up my fingertips?

qwkslver

They will callus over in time. If you can get a can of bag balm (like farmers use on cows) and put it on your fingers it takes some of the soreness out. I can't use a thimble either.

Prism99

Are you pushing your needle with the index finger? Or feeling underneath the quilt with it?

Thimbles do reduce how much you can feel but, if you use them daily, eventually you compensate for the loss of feeling with visual cues and muscle memory. I could probably piece without a thimble, but don't think I could ever hand quilt without a thimble on my needle finger.

You might want to try thimble dots. Here is one type for the needle finger:
http://www.amazon.com/Poke-A-Dots-Th...dp/B00A3VAXVC/
And here is another that provides some padding for the underneath finger:
http://www.amazon.com/Colonial-Needl...dp/B001J5JN7G/

You can also try a piece of adhesive tape, but I found that less than satisfactory. I also tried New Skin:
http://www.amazon.com/New-Skin-Liqui...dp/B0017JOF86/
but this works only on intact fingertips. If you already have a blister or broken skin, you don't want to use it.

Edit: I think the trick to developing calluses (and I'm not sure everyone can develop them) is to limit your daily work to an amount that does *not* make your fingertips terribly sore, but to do work every day.

KalamaQuilts

I keep a tiny tube of triple antibiotic salve in my quilting kit and by the bed, really rub it in at night.
To help pulling the needle through I use as secretary's rubber finger on the middle finger of my top or pulling hand.

Keep quilting for years and years and years in order to keep those precious callouses.

tessagin

Ditto what Prism99 stated. Also definitely don't use the one with the blister. Maybe a little slow but those dots help and you may want to try the other fingers for a while. Their is a tool for hand quilters that is used as a guide for underneath and I believe It's called "AUNT BECKY". You don't get the pricks in the fingers underneath. You can google it.

tessagin

Found the video. It's Aunt Becky' finger protecter quilting tool. Scroll all the way down and it shows a video on how to use it.

humbird

I always thought I couldn't use a thimble either, but I persevered. Made myself use it, now I cant get along without it. Not a regular thimble however. Its the finger cut off a rubber glove with a small piece of leather inside. Looks weird, but works for me. That is on my middle finger. On my index finger, I use a finger cote. (sp?) Helps to pull the needle thru. Not sure how I manage to not prick my "under" finger.

Onebyone

When I first learned to thread a needle, my grandmother gave me a small thimble and said I couldn't sew without it. I said I couldn't work it. She said yes I could because she didn't want to listen to me wailing about having a hurt finger. LOL. I use two when sewing binding on the quilt. One on the middle finger of my needle hand and one on my thumb on the opposite hand. I tend to stick myself in that thumb when sewing binding.

NJ Quilter

I could never manage getting the hang of using a thimble - regardless of style - on my index finger. I use an open-ended, cone shaped metal thimble on my middle finger. It is by Thimblelady. Love this thimble. I find it much more comfortable using my middle finger as my 'pushing' finger as well as using the pad of my finger vs the tip as traditional thimbles are usually designed to be used. I, too, use a rubber fingertip on my index finger to help pull through the needle. Now, my 'under' fingers...well, that's a different story. I just keep changing which finger I use to feel the needle underneath. If I'm not doing a 'quilting marathon' to get something done, those fingers do callous over after a bit. I probably really should look into the 'Aunt Becky' tool. Just haven't taken the time to do so.

citruscountyquilter

Using a thimble does take some getting used to. Try wearing a thimble when you're not sewing so that it begins to feel natural on your hand. I use a thimble on my middle finger and not my index finger and push the needle with my middle finger. I haven't tried an Aunt Becky but it does seem intriguing. I have put one on my wish list. I have developed a callous on my ring finger from where it touched my thimble.