Sore Fingers From Embroidery? Products + Techniques That Help!
If you’ve ever stitched for more than a few hours, I’m sure you’ve gotten some sore fingers from embroidery. I tend to get a sore spot on my thumb that’s really painful and annoying. I’ve tried bandaids and I’ve even tried to use a thimble but those just get in the way.
Recently, Colonial Needle reached out to me and sent me several of their sewing products for me to try out. And can you believe they sent me a bunch of different thimbles and needle grips! In this post, I wanted to share two of them that I think would be really helpful for your fingers.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase an item.
Needle Grip-Its
The first product that I have found really helpful are these Needle Grip-Its. You can use them on more than one finger to have a better grip on the needle. This would be really helpful for when you’re working on thicker fabrics where the needle is harder to pull through. I usually put one over the area of my thumb that gets sore when I plan to embroider for more than a few hours.
These little adhesive spots last for more than one use and they stay in place well. They’re also pretty thin so they don’t get in the way while you’re stitching. The only downside to these is that they can make your fingers ever so slightly sticky, but I think they help enough that I’m willing to put up with it!
Thimble Pads
To be honest, I never really knew how to use a thimble. It felt like it hindered me; I couldn’t feel where I was placing the needle so it would slow me down a lot and I would get frustrated. Then I watched this video about how to use one and realized I was using it wrong and it’s also because I usually stab instead of sew when I embroider! If you’re unsure of the difference between the two, let me explain.
Stabbing Embroidery Method
Stabbing is a technique where you work from the front and the back of the fabric with your needle and thread. The needle is held at a 45-90 angle to the fabric and the eye of the needle is usually facing you as you go down through the fabric. (The photo above is a bit exaggerated, but I wanted to make sure it was clear which direction the needle was facing.)
Sewing Method
Sewing is when you grab the fabric with your needle. Instead of pulling the needle and thread through to the back of your work, you work stitches along the front of the work. The needle is held almost parallel to the fabric.
Sashiko would be a good example of a style of embroidery that usually uses the sewing method, but there are plenty of other styles of surface embroidery where you can use this technique.
Using a thimble works better, at least from my experience when you are sewing because you hold the needle in such a way that you can push the needle through with your middle finger. So if you’re a sewer, these Thimble Pads on your middle finger are a bit more natural and practical to use.
The Thimble Pads are nice because they are reusable until the adhesive wears off and they don’t cover your entire finger. They are a bit thicker than the Needle Grip-Its and they are made of real leather. They take a little getting used to , but coming from someone that’s never felt comfortable using a metal thimble, these feel a lot better to me.
In Summary
If you are a stabber, I recommend trying the needle grip-its. If you are a sewer or you’re working on really thick material that needs a little help pushing the needle through, try the thimble pads. Hope this helps!
Amanda is a hand embroidery teacher and artist. With over 15 years of experience in the craft industry and embroidery, she owns and runs Crewel Ghoul, sharing accessible tutorials and patterns to help inspire fellow crafters to get creative. In addition to running this website, she teaches on Skillshare and Youtube.
