A comfortable, easy-to-use thimble

[Barb T]

Hi guys
Years ago, Dritz made a _great_ leather thimble that really protected your finger, lasted a long time, and was a whole lot more comfortable and easy to use than a traditional metal thimble. Like many things, it's gone the way of the buffalo.

I finally got around to making a pattern from the very last one I had when it finally wore out, and I've made myself several more. They all work great. I've posted pics below, in case you want to make one. Here's how:

-get a nice piece of heavy leather scrap (Michael's craft leather squares work great, if you want to buy a piece). Cut it out using the photo below as a shape guide. If you want to use the picture as a template, scale it so that the long dimension is 3.5" or so. It needs to be long enough to go around your finger and overlap by about 3/4". You might need a longer length than my template if you have big fingers.
-cut a piece of metal flashing (I used a scrap of roof flashing) half the length of the tab and slightly less wide.



-fold the tab over the metal and hot glue the whole thing together. The metal flashing is the key - if you just use leather, your needle will be poking through the leather into your finger after a kilt or two.



-put a tab of velcro at each end of the strip to hold it closed. I found that hot glue doesn't hold very well, but the sticky-back velcro really sticks all by itself. You can always stitch it if it comes loose.
-wrap it around your finger, and shape the tab to arch over the end of your finger.



Voila! A perfect, comfortable thimble that doesn't make your fingernails ache or your finger sweaty.

Barb

[Zyzzyx]

I'm not a sewing kinda guy, but that looks durn slick. I'll have to file this away in the memory banks for retrieval when I decide to try doing my own kilt.

[way2fractious]

Voila! A perfect, comfortable thimble that doesn't make your fingernails ache or your finger sweaty.

And here I go with another BIG "thank you" to you. This will be great.

[Barb T]

Just bumping this back to the top in case anyone who's just starting a kilt hasn't seen it.

Barb

[JimB]

I thank you, and my poor pin pricked fingers thank you!

[The Wizard of BC]

The Unique brand of sewing supplies carry four different leather thimbles. The one I like has a dimpled metal shield in the middle. I see if I can't scan a photo from their catalog.

[Barb T]

Just bumping this up to the top for anyone who's started making kilts since this was first posted.

Barb

[AtagahiKC]

Barb, I found this leather skin thimble that seems to be what you show in your design.

I thought I'd post the link in case it is something you could recommend.

http://www.thimblesetc.com/functional.html

[Barb T]

Actually, I've tried this one, and it's too wimpy for kiltmaking. It's soft, and it slides around, and the deerskin wears out too fast. The original Dritz design that I copied is much sturdier, lasts longer, and doesn't slide around on your finger.

Cheers,

B

[ardchoille]

This type of thimble is an excellent idea.. reminds me of a sailor's palm (piece of leather covering the palm to protect it from the needles used to work rope).