Thimble question

Soft metal such as gold wears very, very quickly! However, most "gold" thimbles these days are just gold-plated, and hold up nicely. My gold-plated thimbles are my current favorites -- they feel good and protect my hand from the usual chemical reaction between my skin and the lesser metals that turns my skin black. Trust me, you do NOT want that black on your clothing or your upholstery or your quilt!

A very old lady gave me some advice about thimbles that has proved true. She said never get too fond of any particular thimble, because that is the one that you will lose or step on or the dog will eat, and then no thimble will seem good. Thus, we should have several thimbles and switch between them now and then. Her advice has been right! I go a step or two further, and have a variety of thimbles in several sizes, since with temperature and humidity changes, etc., my fingers change sizes, and what fits today may not fit tomorrow or next week. (For the same reason, I do not get rings sized -- I just change fingers.)

Anyhow, I suggest that people try out all styles of thimbles, and even when you find something you don't like, keep it anyway, because next month or next year you will want it for something and decide you really do like it. My brother-in-law asked why I always have 3 or 4 thimbles on a little glass tray with my pincushion, needle cushion, thread, etc. by my favorite chair, and the finger-size changes made sense to him, but he did laugh when I told him I had a lot more thimbles and showed him my cigar box with dozens and dozens!

I love the sterling thimbles best, too. I do not know the scientific reason, but a solid silver thimble "does something" to the finger after wearing it a bit. It becomes part of your finger, in a comfortable way. It doesn't pinch, and it won't fall off. I even forget about it and sometimes wear it out of the house. The lady I bought it from told me this, and I truly thought it was just marketing propaganda, but I swear there *is* a difference. Roxanne thimbles also are kind of better ergonomically I hear -- because you're pushing off the finger pad and not the end of the finger. I'm a real cheapskate sometimes, but this was one birthday splurge that was worth it.

Sherry

Sandy, your Roxanne may be too big. First one I brought home did that, and I got a smaller size. I argued with LQS lady it was TOO small. She says, "Go home and quilt." By dog, she was right. After a few minutes, it fit perfectly. (Sounds like you've already found the perfect thimble for you though. Don't you love that? I searched two years before I got one I was happy with)

Sherry

Sherry

Maybe I just quilt too much! Is there such a thing???? Maybe I'll look into the sterling silver. The Thimblelady one that I have has an open end as well and is designed to be used by pushing with the pad of your finger. A bit strange to get used to at first but much more comfortable after a bit. The silicone one of these that I had I also ended up eventually putting the needle through the dimples and into my fingers like Jenn. Ouch doesn't even cover it. But I notice that the same situation is starting to occur with the stainless in that a couple of the dimples where I typically work are also 'wearing' more so than others. I'm trying to be more aware and use other dimples in the thimble but sometimes that just doesn't happen.

Jenn - is the silicon lined thimble open ended or closed? Do you have a link?

My favorite thimble is brass, at least 80 years old, made in Germany. I've used it for decades for needlework (I'm fairly new to quilting), and it shows no visible wear.

I also love silver; I just haven't found one I like lately for a reasonable price, and they do tend to wear, unlike brass.

S/s makes my fingertip feel like it's sweating. Icky.

I am trying out a silicone thimble with a brass cap over the tip. It feels a little sweaty and it's relatively heavy, but I do like the big cap with the ridge that catches the eye of the needle securely.

ep