Has anyone tried thimblelady methods/products?

[Judymc]

Has anyone tried thimblelady's methods/products for handquilting? Could you share how you like it? I saw the demo video on her website...looks really painless....

[Judymc]

Yes I use her method and her thimble.

I started with the old style and now use the cone style thimble

I get on very well with her method.

What else would you like to know?

[Judymc]

Thanks for the response. Do you need to use a hoop? I am a new quilter. I tried some hand quilting today....my fingers hurt! I wasn't using a hoop as the piece I was working on is quite small....Is it necessary to use a hoop using Thimblelady's methods/products?

[Judymc]

Well I use a hoop
But as everyone knows there are no rules - many people don't use a hoop
With Luixin's method the quilt is in the hoop very very loose. And when you are quilting ( its hard to explain) the action is almost folding the fabric onto the needle ( slight exaggeration there) and when the needle comes through to the underneath your receiving hand is nowhere near the point of the needle and you sort of push on the fabric which sends the needle back up.

Its not an easy method to describe in words. She does sell a video/dvd which is a good idea to have running while you are practising. She explains how to get into a rhythm of the quilting and most of all relax when you are quilting. This is quite true. If you relax and do not tense up there will be a lot less aching arms wrists shoulders hands. Its like anything really if you relax you get better results.

I was lucky and did a class with Luixin when she was first starting teaching. I had only done a little hand quilting before so I really didn't have anything to unlearn. I've been using her method for many many years now and in actual fact have worn a hole in my first silver thimble because I used it so much! She does sell plastic cone thimbles now so it would be a good idea to buy that one first to see how you get on. I have noticed that she is on the quilt show list for sometime in series three ( I don't subscribe to the shows for many reasons!!) so it would be interesting to see how much time she has in the show to demonstrate.