Finished Hearts For Amelia Quilt with Sam, My Daughter-in-law
When I decided it was indeed time to take up quilting, I had already made the decision to stick with smaller quilts which could be crib quilts or lap quilts. The reason for this was threefold. Space was the primary issue as we do not have the room for a large dining table that makes for an excellent quilt layout spot. We also don’t have room for a large sewing machine which comes in very handy as you’re trying to work anything from twin bed size on up. The third reason was I am not, in general, in a hurry to get any particular project completed and so the definitely slower element of hand quilting was not going to be an issue. Since the first quilt was to be the one for Amelia, there was a bit of a deadline and with all my other obligations, plus the relative complexity of the quilt (which was a great way to learn), I did have to push a little to make it. The one rule about the quilt was that it was fully intended to be dragged about and eventually no doubt torn up rather than treated as something special. I’ll make quilts for her at different stages of her life, so trying to preserve the first one wasn’t necessary.
Anyway, one of the things I’ve discovered is I cannot seem to find a thimble I can comfortably use. None of the other quilters appear to have this problem and haven’t noticed I don’t use one. At this point, I’m too embarrassed to bring it up. I did discuss it with a friend who agreed it was an unnatural feeling and a little awkward. I will keep searching about and see if I can work through it, then eventually ask for help I imagine. If anyone out there has an idea, I’m open to suggestions.
Amelia and Quilt (Bright sunshine making her squint)
Hi Charlie, the quilt looks great! I am sure Amelia will love it. With regard to a thimble: two things that might be worth a try: Clover manufacture a thimble called the ‘protect and grip’ in three different sizes that has a metal tip, but a flexible silicone rubber ‘body’ which means it is more comfortable than a traditional thimble, if you don’t mind the feel of the silicone rubber. They are easy to use, and light to wear. Another possibility would be a Roxanne thimble, which has an open tip (so the dimples are located on the pad of your finger). These are good if you don’t like the enclosed feel of a thimble, or have long nails! They come in 16 different sizes, so a good fit is almost always possible. There is also a cheaper range that comes in 5 standard sizes.
Good luck!
Hi Fiona and thanks so much for the info. I will give these a try for sure and let everyone know what happens.
Happy Quilting to you. Charlie