Thimbles

Why hand quilters wear them and how to find a good one…

I learned to hand quilt from my beloved Dorcas Hand Quilters. The first time I came to a meeting, I met the ladies (we were all women then) and was given to Lucille to learn the basics. She asked me if I had brought a thimble and I showed her the leather one I used for hand sewing. She snatched it off my finger with a harumph and asked if I was right or left handed. I demurred saying I didn’t like metal thimbles. She gave me a sharp look then picked out a thimble, put it on my middle finger, and commanded that if I wanted to become a hand quilter, I’d better get used to it. That is the thimble I use to this day.

My first thimble

If you attend my Hand Quilting Class, I ask you to bring a thimble that fits your middle finger of your dominate hand. I also ask that you bring a metal thimble, not a leather one. Of course I always get questions about why not leather and sometimes I get some blowback. But first I have to explain why hand quilters use thimbles.

In order to do the rocking stitch, you use the top of the thimble to rock the needle back and forth. In order to do that, you need to have a thimble that will do the job. It should have a flat top, not a domed one, with a ridge around the edge so the eye of the needle can nestle into it and not slip. You also need deep dimples on it to keep the needle in the proper position. The thimble should fit your finger closely and not twist if you try to turn it. All these things insure the proper position to do a good hand quilting stitch. I have never seen a leather thimble do what the metal one can. If you try to do the rocking stitch with leather, it is just too bulky and will cause you to take larger stitches. And if you place the eye of the needle on a leather thimble and rock it, you will be yelling ouch in no time. The eye will pierce the leather and your finger.

The first thing I do in my hand quilting class is inspect everyone’s thimbles. If it doesn’t fit correctly or doesn’t have a good ridge, I change it out for a proper thimble and ask all the students to start wearing them right away. According to hand quilting experts (aka my Dorcas ladies) your hand will get used to the weight in about 10 minutes and you’ll forget you have it on. By the end of class, it will be totally comfortable as long as it fits properly.

The thimble I recommend is made by Dritz. It’s inexpensive and you can find them in just about any fabric store. They also come in many sizes from petite to extra large. I carry around a bag of them in all sizes so my students can start out with a proper thimble.

Dritz thimbles from left to right, petite size 3, small 6, medium 8, large 10, extra large 12

One of the things I do in class is check in with the students to see how their thimble is working for them. Of course, your finger will swell or shrink as you use it and sometimes it changes so much that you need to go up or down a size. When I decided to invest in a silver thimble, I bought one from Dierdra McElroy at a quilt show one year. She fitted me, then told me to come back in half an hour. Ever the obedient person, I did, and she changed the size with instructions to return in another 30 minutes. I did this 2 more times and she changed the size every time until she was satisfied with the fit.

Thimble on the left adjustable for long nails, on the right are thimbles for large knuckles in small, medium, and large

Now not everyone has a uniform type of hand. Some people have large knuckles, or long fingernails, or even arthritis which will prohibit their fingers from doing the rocking motion. But there are thimbles that can accommodate these differences. Here are a few.

Also, not every hand quilter does the rocking stitch in the same way. Some use the top of the thimble to rock the needle, some use the pad of the finger, and some use the side of the finger. There are thimbles that accommodate that also.

hand quilting using the pad of your finger

My silver thimble

This thimble is designed for quilters who use the pad or side of their finger to rock the needle. I quilt both ways, with the tip and pad of my finger. This one is made by Roxanne who also makes an aluminum version that is readily available and less expensive than the silver thimble.

So please don’t let thimble usage dissuade you from trying hand quilting. Remember a teacher’s goal is to make you a successful hand quilter so she/he will make sure you find a thimble you can use to get pretty hand quilting stitches.