By Faith Essenburg
This week I had the chance to try out Clover’s newest product; the Flexible Rubber Thimbles and they came just in time for my latest hand quilting project. They come in sets of two, with three sizes so of course I had to give them all a try to find the perfect fit.
First up we have the Flexible Rubber Thimble (Large)-this one is yellow and has a diameter of 18mm. It fits my thumb perfectly. The Flexible Rubber Thimble (Medium) is pink and has a diameter of 16mm and I started this one out on my index finger. This would be the perfect set up for hand stitching with heavy duty projects such as denim or canvas, the rubber adds a good grip on the needle for pulling through several layers of fabric or when using a heavier floss.
I also tried out the medium Flexible Rubber Thimble on my middle finger since that is the finger I am more used to hand quilting with a thimble on. This allowed for greater ease in sewing, using my middle finger to feed the needle through the fabric and my thumb to grip and pull the needle through.
I then wanted to get a feel for the Flexible Rubber Thimbles on all three of the fingers that I use for sewing, a bit of overkill for this hand quilting but will come in handy for sewing through more layers or through the seam line of a project. The teal one is part of the I Sew For Fun collection. This thimble comes is a medium size and it comes in a set with a smaller (14mm) purple one that would be great for kids or more petite fingers than mine.
It was a nice change to have so much grip on my needle, no slipping or hard pulling. Each thimble is flexible enough that I think a good fit can easily be found and there are little holes around the sides to allow for ventilation so fingers don’t get that sweaty feeling at all.
The feel I ended up liking the most is the larger rubber thimble on my thumb to get that extra grip for smooth pulling and my favorite Coin Thimble on my middle finger for extra protection when pushing the needle through. I have a whole thimble overview HERE if you would like more information on other Clover thimbles. Also note the cute pictures on the inside of the rubber thimbles, trees, butterflies and flowers that leave a cute imprint on your finger.
With Summer almost here and less time to spend at my sewing machine, I have several hand sewing projects lined up. I find them perfect for adding stitches to whenever I have a few moments free, and those stitches here and there really add up to whole finished projects over time. I like to have something to hand quilt for mindless sewing when visiting with friends or watching a show at night, an English Paper Piecing project that is small and can easily be taken on trips to the park or camping and then of course I always have a machine sewing project (or three!) going on as well. Make sure you have all the right tools to get you sewing this summer!
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