Quilting Thimbles
| Summary: Quilting isn't just hand sewing, and your tools should reflect that. While a thimble may seem like an incidental piece of equipment, unworthy of attention, the right quilting thimble can make the difference between enjoyment and frustration. |
A thimble is just a thimble, right? You can pretty much use any thimble in any circumstance, unless you want to sew a saddle or something otherwise extreme, yes? No. Although your local fabric or notions shop might want you to think that a thimble by any other name would protect as well, it's just not true.
Thimbles, small and simple as they are, can significantly affect a project, and your enjoyment of that project. In hand quilting, expertise is measured, at least in part, by stitch length and consistency of length. Although many things affect your stitching, including choice of fabric and batting, your thimble choice is also important. It may well seem that, when hand-quilting, once you have chosen the fabric and batting, that you have made all the really important choices. But choosing the right thimble is the difference between neat, even stitches, and stuttering, inconsistent stitching. Not to mention that a good-fitting thimble will speed your work and allow you to spend more time quilting with less discomfort.
The length of your stitches is determined by how well your thimbled finger on the top of the quilt "talks to" the finger underneath. Because the eye end of a thin needle is nearly as small and prickly as the tip end, control is a challenge. You can improve your control significantly by using a quilting thimble.
All quilting thimbles have a lip around the edge. This lip stops the needle from sliding off the thimble, giving you greater control over the fine needles that make a fine quilt. Thimbles that are intended for everyday sewing have no lip, or a much smaller lip, making the control of fine needles far more difficult. So, before you start that next quilt, consider adding a new thimble to your repertoire. Look for a quilting thimble, designed especially for fine needle work, and watch your productive and enjoyment rise.