I happened upon a really cool gadget that is perfect for those of us with homemade or commercial (the old Chounard or current Exped) "Expedition" sewing kits in our survival or backpacking kits. One problem is that there's no thimble. Thimbles are bulky and a PITA to pack in a compact sewing kit. So, they are left out. Was out with my wife at a sewing store recently (Halloween costume time) and came across a "coin thimble." It is a really incredible little tool and it packs flat. See images below. Note that it is available in three sizes (not all sources carry all three sizes). The Medium just barely fits my index finger, comfortable on the others.

Sources all over Web at http://www.google.com/search?q=clover+coin+thimble and under $10, or check in your local sewing/cloth store.

I know that $10 is cheap... but I can't help myself in thinking that one could easily make one of these. What catches my imagination is that if it were slightly longer and had a bit of a flap on one side, you could turn it into a case for a sewing kit. I have some scraps of leather that would work. I may give it a try sometime (after I finish a few other projects that are still half done first.)

I really like the idea of turning it into a small sewing kit. I may work on that myself.

Doug,

If you are looking for thimbles, my wife (who sews alot) swears by these little leather disks that actually stick to your finger tip via some sort of reusable adhesive. They are only about 1/4" in diameter and are perfect for a small kit.

They look like this:


A quick search indicates that both your thimble and these can be found at http://www.quiltknit.com/notions/page6.htm

Greg