Originally Posted by ibeesewin

Looked at Hobby & Jo-Ann's for the finger cots that Sharon Schamber uses in her binding video. No luck at either store. Jo-Ann's has them available on line...however, I don't need to order anything else. Called my LQS and they don't have them either. So...stopped at Wallgreen't and purchased the finger cots in the band-aid section. They work perfectly.

Also..is using a thimble kind of like an acquired taste? I have purchased 3 thimbles and end up removing them because I just can't sew with one. One that I purchased today falls off so what use is that? Any suggestion on thimbles...my finger is getting sore and I only have one side of the quilt stitched. I didn't want to machine stitch this one because I wanted to try the ladder stitch.

Originally Posted by emc1118

I read an article in a magazine more years ago than I care to remember about thimbles. It mentioned that to get used to using a thimble, find one that fits comfortably and then wear it while doing other things around the house. The idea was to get used to it and soon you are using the finger it is on to do other things. I use a thimble to even hem a pair of slacks. My sister stopped in one day while I was sewing. I answered the door, chatted for a while and about 1/2 hour later she asked why I was wearing the timble. I totally forgot it was there. As the previous posts mentioned, the type is an acquired use, plus the various types.

Originally Posted by patchsamkim

The only thimble I can use is a leather one...I especially like the heavier goatskin ones...the lighter weight ones wear through too fast. I have tried many times to use a metal thimble, but I just have never been able to get used to one.

Originally Posted by Kristin in ME

I didn't know you could quilt *without* a thimble, lol! Sounds painful...

I always used to use a metal thimble. I dampen my finger and it stays on fine. However, I hadn't quilted

A anything for literally years until last week and, when I used the metal thimble, it was too small! I don't know what happened... I can't imagine my finger grew, lol! Anyway, it was rubbing on my joint because it was too tight so I decided to try a leather one. It took a little getting used to but it seems to be working for me now. The problem now though is that pieces of elastic are coming out of the stretchy part that holds it on my finger, also the leather on the end seems to be wearing through very quickly- at this rate, I doubt it will hold up long enough for me to quilt this whole quilt!

Unrelated maybe- what is a finger cot??

Originally Posted by charity-crafter

I keep losing my thimbles. I take small piece of plastic, like from a milk carton and place it over my pushing finger pad. Then I wrap with it with duct tape or several bandaids. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done and with the duct tape, it doesn't come off unless you want it to....but then you have the adhesive to scrub off you skin.