Thimbles and something extra...

Bonnie Hunter over at Quiltville asked her readers about thimbles, which ones we use, how we like them, etc. So here's my take on it.

I have several that I use, all the same kind actually. I have tried several that have ended up in the sewing basket graveyard.

I have a modified stretchy-band kind that I use for my "thumble" when I quilt using my floor frame. When I quilt in a hoop I just turn the hoop to the direction I need so that I can use my middle finger thimble.

I recently finished a quilt for a friend of mine that her grandmother had pieced and assembled. It was already basted, and the edges were folded over from the back. About 3 inches from the edge I hit a thick spot that really slowed me down, it turns out the lady had added a layer of flannel to the poly batting before it was basted. I bet it helps keep them warm during those Colorado winters, but boy, was it hard to quilt through.

My favorite thimble, and the ones that I keep in every little sewing basket in the house, is a nickel plated steel from the local quilt shop.  I find them all over my house, it's quite funny actually. If I gathered them all up I might have a dozen or so.

The large size fits my knobby knuckles and stays on.  It feels secure when I'm pushing the needle through the thickest seams.

This next one has a wonderful brass "coin" in the end and feels fairly secure, yet the leather has stretched and won't stay on my finger. 

This next one I keep around mostly for sentimental reasons, it was given to me by a friend when she traveled to Alaska.  It's made out of a skin of some kind, it is leather and has fur on the outside.  She said it is what the Eskimos would use to stitch through tough leather.  Frankly, I can't imagine that.  It slips off the end of my finger and the tiny little band that goes across the back of my finger seems to fragile for much hard usage.

I always keep my eye out for sewing related things at the yard sales I see, and one day I found a particularly wonderful sewing basket of goodies. Here are a few of the pretties I found. It is a beautiful piece of "jewelry." It has little flowers around the edges.

In this picture you can see the thread guide. Does anyone out there know what this might be for? Do you know its age?

I love these needle books I found.  This one came from Gambles Paint Headquarters. 

This one came from House of Fabrics.  From an era where customer service and "good customer gifts" were commonplace.