Product Review: Colonial Thimblepad Leather Adhesive Thimble

I whine a lot about hand work.  It's gorgeous to be sure but it is slow and damn it IT HURTS MY FINGERS.  Sure, I could wear a thimble.  Where's the fun in that?  Well...none either way.  I hate wearing thimbles.  For one, I have little sausage fingers that are often between sizes, so finding a fit is annoyingly difficult.  Also, the ones that encompass the fingertip makes my finger sweaty and yes, I will bitch about that too.  No one likes sweaty fingers.  Not to mention when I wear a thimble I lose the tactile ability to tell how my stitches are going when I sacrifice touch for protecting my sensitive sausage fingers.

Did I mention I am allergic to nickel too?  Like to a point where I break out in minutes?  No?  Well I am, and well, a lot of metal thimbles have NICKEL IN THEM.  Delicate flower indeed.  But then...then there were these sticky little leather thimble pads.  Now.  I HATE STICKY.  Sticky just about makes me hurl.  But I can cope with that neurosis if it means there is a thimble out there in the wide world that will work for me.

Behold:

Specs

• Adhesive dots about 1/4" diameter
• 12 per pack
• $5.99

Pros

• One thimble lasts for multiple uses
• Unobtrusive 
• Works for any finger size, on any finger
• You can still feel the pressure of the needle, which is helpful since so much of hand quilting/stitching is done by touch and knowing the feeling of a correct stitch
• Nothing pokes through that baby.  Nothing.  Not even those huge tufting needles.  Quick, ask me how I know.  (No, it didn't happen on purpose)

Cons

• The adhesive, especially after the first couple uses, leaves a sticky residue on your finger (which if you know me, you know stickiness makes me practically and sometimes literally dry heave)
• If it gets unstuck from the little wax paper thing it comes on after you use it a couple times, the thing is a loss because I AM NOT USING A STICKY THIMBLE THAT HAS BEEN NOW STUCK TO SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE WAX PAPER AND MY OWN CLEAN FINGERS.  Right in the garbage.  Wasteful?  Yes.
• Being disposable by nature, you have to replenish them...unlike a "regular" thimble which is a one-time purchase unless you lose it or it is damaged beyond usability

Conclusion

★★★★★

Yes, no need to blink and rub your eyes.  Those are FIVE stars right there.  Five.  Even with the cons. I used to hate hand work, and whine about it extra loudly in case outer Mongolia didn't hear me the first time.  But these little sticky thimbles are a complete game changer.  I slam through bindings without my finger getting raw and sore.  I EVEN DID AN EMBROIDERY QUILT AND STARTED A SECOND BECAUSE OF THESE.  You're not gonna get a 5/5 out of me that often.  These deserve it.