Friday 1 July 2016

Thimble Notes

About three years ago I was working on a small pillow and that's what I wrote back then: Note to Self: Thing number one: when it comes to hand sewing, DO NOT attempt to finish it all in one go. Thing number two: find a way to protect fingers so you won't end up in pain for a few days afterwards.


Well, it took me three years (I can't believe it's been that long!) and finally I bought myself this lovely, super soft leather thimble. It arrived yesterday in the mail and the timing could not be any better because I had (and still have) quite some hand stitching to do. After publishing the picture below on Instagram, some people asked what I thought of this thimble.


So I thought I would sew and take some notes, just my thought and feeling while I fiddle with this new accessory. This is what I ended up scribbling as I went along.
  • A bit bulky, but soft and very pleasant for fingers.
  • It's flexible and does not feel like something got stuck on your finger.
  • It's warm. You might want to laugh at this one, but it was very cold last night and when I put a metal thimble on, it felt really unpleasant and cold compared to the leather one. (I kept switching between my rubber, metal and leather thimbles to get a better feel).
  • No pressure on any part of my finger, no pain at all.
  • I find that with a metal thimble I can only push the needle with the tip part. If I use the sides, the needle slips and pricks my fingers. With the leather one it's much easier. I can twist the thimble on my finger so that the coin pad can be on any side of my finger or I can even push with the leather part of the thimble and the needle does not slip.
  • The leather thimble does not slip off my finger as any metal one does.
  • It does not get long to get used to.
  • I did not have any expectation at all when I started sewing and was pleasantly surprised as I went along. My finger is not sore at all!
What do you think? Is it a thumb up or down? I just wish I could invite you all to my house for a cup of tea and a slice of cake and some sewing time together, so you all could give my new thimble a go and decide whether this little accessory is for you or not. For me this little accessory is really a thumb UP. 

I just want to make a note that this is not a product review in any form. These are simply my stitching notes on a newly purchased Clover Coin Leather Thimble that I am in love with. :-) Happy accessorising! Larisa xox

4 comments:

  1. An interesting read, Larisa. I've always thought of these thimbles as being exclusively for hand quilting, but your comments have made me think again.

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    1. Thank you, Dina. I am glad you found it interesting. My Mum was taught to sew at school and it was compulsory to use a thimble whenever you did any type of hand stitching (sewing, quilting, embroidering). Mum tried encouraging me to use a thimble too, but I never could manage it with a metal thimble, it always felt uncomfortable. But now I find myself more and more using a thimble. So glad that I finally got this one for myself. It's a luxury really!

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  2. I've been wanting to try the leather thimbles. Alas, I bought a gel and metal one first, and I just can't get over the feeling of waste. But the gel/silicon? makes my finger sweat, so....it is a waste anyway, eh? Thanks for the notes!

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    1. I kept putting it off because I did not really think it would be any good, especially knowing that it's quite pricey. I have never tried a silicon one, but the rubber one does make your finger sweat too, especially during summer days, and if you use thin sharp needles, you make holes quickly and prick your finger too. :-)

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