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
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