Here in the UK it’s a Bank Holiday Monday today, so I’ll begin this post with a (non-functioning) decorative thimble. If it stays sunny I hope to spend some of today on the beach at Ramsgate and will be sure to see plenty of seagulls!
So, on now to some real thimbles, which can be very helpful tools in your sewing room. Here is a classic metal thimble.
I wear mine on the middle finger of my right hand. I find I have to buy a large size of thimble to fit my finger. Your thimble needs to fit the tip of your finger in a way that is not tight and uncomfortable, yet the thimble won’t drop off if you lower your hand. The indented top helps the end of the needle to stay in place as you push the needle through your fabric.
I actually most often use a thimble known as a ‘tailor’s thimble’ which does not have a top and which I find very comfortable to wear – and very unlikely to drop off my finger while I am working.
Here it is in use.
I also have a large tailor’s thimble which is big enough to wear on my thumb,
The regular-sized tailor’s thimble is the kind I use most often, I have one in my travelling sewing kit. I made a small drawstring bag for it (seen on the right) so the thimble doesn’t fall out when I open the sewing kit (on a train, for example).
This type of thimble has a flat top with a rim, which you might find helpful if you do a lot of hand-quilting, The rim makes it less likely that the needle-end will slip off your thimble.
Finally, I have a very tiny thimble which I keep because it appeals to me, even though I can’t use it. It was perhaps intended for a young child to use? I’ve shown it next to my regular thimble for comparison.
I’ll finish – since this is the late summer holiday – with two more purely decorative thimbles with their floral designs.
There are two thimbles on the ‘Sewing’ print I designed, which fits onto a quarter of a yard of fabric. It is available from Spoonflower and can be printed onto a linen/cotton mix fabric which is perfect for tea-towels. If you order a yard you can make four tea-towels by cutting the piece into four and hemming the edges. Find the fabric here
Here’s a photo of the tea-towel hanging in my former studio.
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