The Origin of Thumb Thimble

Nobody can tell who invented the thumb thimble. Among all the clothes makers, only the Cantonese tailors use the thumb thimbles to sew. Even qipao makers from Guangdong province did not use a thumb thimble. One major distinction is that Cantonese tailors wear the thumb thimble on their thumbs as suggested by the name. A thumb thimble is one sizing that each tailor just makes their own band with fabric or leather. During the basting and tailoring process, we often lay fabrics flat on the working desk and sew them together. It is easier to push the needle through layers of fabrics using a thumb thimble in this process.

Thimbles are made with various materials like brass, nickel, stainless steel, leather, and plastic. There are not many haberdasheries left in Hong Kong and those who made this special thimble had gone out of business decades ago. With the help of a local jeweller, she remade the thumb thimble with sterling silver. In this first remake, she recreated the scratches of the original one in an artistic manner.