A thimble is one of those things that you don't think about until one day, after continued struggle pushing a needle through heavy fabric, and several stabs to the fingertips of your other hand, a lightbulb goes off above your head and you think, "Ah, a thimble."
Small, functional, somehow cheerful, I can see why people collect them. There is even a museum dedicated to thimbles. The Fingerhut Museum. I went through a few thimbles before I found one I liked. There was an aluminum one that felt flimsy and hard at the same time. And a brass one that was a size too large so I wrapped a Band-Aid inside to keep it snug on my finger. When I pulled this one from a basket of different sized thimbles and put it on my finger it felt just right.
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This soooo reminded me to get myself a thimble after stabbing myself in the finger and having to leave the ivory silk I was working with for a while. Blood everywhere!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thought!!
I definitely agree that thimbles can be an afterthought; it never occurs to me to wear one until the damage is done. Luckily my MIL has just brought me back a gorgeous one from Canada so hopefully I'll remember to wear t more often :D
ReplyDeleteWe often overlook how important a humble tool can be. I had a favorite thimble that somehow went off on its own. And I had a set of various sizes, one for each finger, for playing the autoharp. Hail the thimble!
ReplyDeleteLiz
dressatno9, get that thimble before you stab yourself again!
ReplyDeleteHow nice Amy, that you received of pretty one as a gift. What a nice little present.
Liz, were they special thimbles designed for playing music, or just regular ones put to melodic use?
I didn't use a thimble until I started my job at the theatre and now I cannot be whithout it. Still looking for one with a flat top for use at home though, I only seam to find rounded once and the needle always slips around.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look for one of those needle cases too, it sounds very useful.
I was just thinking about my need to research thimbles! I discovered this darling little acorn-shaped thimble case in the Old Sturbridge Village collection that a friend is willing to reproduce for me - but I have have a thimble to go in it first! So for a historically accurate thimble case, I feel I should look into a historically accurate thimble. I wonder if there's a book about thimbles...
ReplyDeleteWithout mine, I'd be miserable! Cheers, Julie
ReplyDeleteI've never been able to get a thimble to work for me. Is there some trick to using them?
ReplyDeleteValleyviolet, Until I found a thimble that stayed comfortably on my finger I too had problems with them. Using one was almost a hassle. But this one stays put and that makes all the difference. Like clothes, it's all about fit.
ReplyDeleteA little acorn thimble case! How cute! AvaTrimble, there should be a book about thimbles.
Malin, it's funny you mention the flat topped thimble. I had one and hated it. I'm not sure why, but it just never felt right when using it. Curious.
The first time I hand-sewed was in a Japanese-style sewing class (kimono can only be hand-made), and in Japan, instead of thimble, you use a small strip of leather that you cut down and sew together to fit like a ring on the middle part of the middle finger on your dominant hand. It works really well because it doesn't slip off your finger, and the needle doesn't slip off of it!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't find a very good picture of it, but the person in the picture definitely has this leather ring on her right hand, as it helps you push the needle along through the fabric several times before finally pulling it all the way through.
http://www.treep.jp/workshop/images/kimono/main.jpg