Monday, September 16, 2019

How Many Thimbles Do You Own?

I have a total of TEN thimbles. To my knowledge, I only bought one. I don't know how I acquired the rest. For years and years, I resisted using thimbles. Usually I tape a small piece of masking tape over the finger I want to protect and that was my thimble. Lately though, I've started using thimbles when hand sewing. What triggered it was hurting my hand - my maker's hand. Thimbles I've realised are pretty useful. They don't just protect the skin, they make me think about which muscle I want to use or not use. Like if I were sewing without a thimble I would use a lot of fine muscles to pull the needle through. With a thimble, you have the option of using your wrist muscle to push the needle through. As I age, I start to think more about my muscles...

I'm not sure if this is called a Tailor's thimble. It's the most common thimble. I have one but it doesn't fit my fingers. If I use a plaster to tape it to my middle finger, I can use it. But I haven't quite got the hang of it. I think it's a fit issue. If the thimble is more snug, it'll probably be easier using it. Watch this video and this other video really opened my eyes to thimbles.

I have a sashiko thimble which I've used on and off.

The only issue I have with this thimble is your fingers get all weird due to the position of the thimble.This thimble doesn't work if you use a small needle. Watch this video if you're wondering how to use this thimble.

Since I sew a lot of running stitches I thought I had better find a thimble that I'm more comfortable with because using a gigantic sashiko needle is no joke.  This is the thimble I bought. It's Prym Ergonomics Thimble which I bought for SGD4.50. I bought size S thinking I have petite fingers but I should have bought M to fit my middle finger. Anyway, size S fits my ring finger so it's all good.

This is how I use my Prym thimble. I love it. It's the best SGD4.50 I've ever spent.

I have this thimble meant for the middle finger, I think. I haven't quite got the hang of it. I use it for small needles. I'm thinking I wear it too high. I'll try wearing it lower and see if it works.

And this thimble is insane. It's looks so interesting but my brain refuses to understand how to use it.

Anyway, these are the thimbles I don't want because I either have duplicates or can't quite figure it out. If you live in Singapore and want these, let me know and I'll send them to you.

1 comments:

Kate said...

I just discovered that there is a sizing system for thimbles which is used by expensive thimble manufacturers. It is the same as your ring size, but measured at the base of your fingernails. Your trivia for the day.
I use a closed thimble with a ridge around the top, because I hand quilt. The ridge holds the needle on the top of my finger. My current thimble (I lose them) I think cost me under $1 Cdn. It is a bit big, but this is good because my finger seems to get bigger the longer I quilt. When I first put it on, I wet the end of my finger to help hold it on.

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