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Leather Thimbles
================
.. only:: html
.. contents::
.. figure:: cylindrical-17-finished.jpg
:align: center
When sewing by hand, using a well fitting thimble really helps in
protecting the hand, allowing for faster and more regular sewing.
Traditional metal thimbles, however, have a delicate balance between
being too tight and too loose, so finding one that fits just right may
be more problematic and require multiple attempts; among other things,
this makes it harder for a beginner to understand whether they are
having problems with their technique, or their thimble is the wrong
size.
Leather thimbles are significantly more tolerant of small size
variations, and are thus easier to use for a beginner, to start getting
used to the technique.
For advanced sewists metal thimbles have advantages, including allowing
for even faster sewing and being long lasting: leather thimbles under
constant use will have to be replaced after months or at most a few
years after. However having a leather thimble around can still be
useful, for example for sewing during the summer, when they can breath a
bit more, or if the fingers are swollen because of the heat, and they
can also be handy as grippers.
Materials
---------
You will need:
* scraps of leather, about 2 mm thick: anything thicker can become
unwieldy, and thinner wouldn't give enough protection;
* strong sewing thread: waxed linen is ideal, buttonhole twist can also
work.
Leather substitutes will have to be tested for puncture resistance
before they can be used; I'd also avoid plastic-based leather
substitutes for something that has a limited life and will have to be
thrown away.
As for tools, a leather needle with a triangular point can be really
helpful, but a sturdy regular needle can do in a pinch.
This page has patterns for three different types of thimble: a
cylindrical that is the kind I'm most comfortable with, a flat one that
has the advantage of being easy to store e.g. in a travel kit, and a
sashiko one to protect the upper palm / base of the middle finger.
Pattern
-------
The pattern for all thimbles fit on an A4 sheet: :download:`thimbles.svg`.
The size is approximately the diameter of the finger you want to wear
the thimble on: you may have to make two or three thimbles in adiacent
sizes and test which one fits you better (and the other ones can be
given away to people with different hands, or can be useful if your
fingers change size seasonally).
For the sashiko thimble there is just one size.
Instructions
------------
Cylindrical Thimble
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Flat Thimble
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sashiko Thimble
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Gallery
-------
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