Until yesterday, I didn't know the proper name for this kind of thimble or why it looks this way. I called it a topless thimble. It turns out that the proper name is a Tailor's Thimble.
Though I show it on the thumb in these two photos, that's not how it's worn when being used. Like other thimbles, it's worn on the middle finger of your dominate hand. It's used to help push a needle through fabric without poking a hole in your finger.
I found a page on the James Williams: Historical Tailor website dedicated to this thimble. It states,
Tailor’s thimbles have an open top for two important reasons.
* First, they allow the tailor to sew for long periods of time without condensation forming in the tip of the finger under the thimble.
* Second, and most importantly, the open top gives the dexterity and tactility necessary for a tailor. As one is sewing, the fabric is constantly manipulated with both hands, and having that open top allows you to use the tip of that covered finger to aid in this manipulation.
I rarely use this thimble because it's too big for me. It falls off my finger. The website states,
The tip of your finger should extend past the top of the thimble by about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch, allowing you to get a feel for the fabric as you are sewing. If the thimble is too small, your finger will not protrude enough and you’ll lose that sense of touch in that finger. Too big and the thimble will tend to slide around or even fall off.
I'm not sure how this thimble came into my possession. I've had it for as long as I can remember. I wonder if it belonged to my fraternal grandfather who was a tailor. If not, it's a nice story to carry around in my head -- and to make this post a #throwbackthursday.
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