TED STORM ted@tedstorm.nl
Ted Storm is a Dutch traditional quilter who won many prizes in the USA as well as in Europe. She enjoys working by hand. For appliqué she prefers Aurifil 100% cotton # 50 and for quilting Mako size 40. We thank her for sharing her thumbquilting secrets with us.
I considered the thumb the best finger to quilt away from your body and from left to right. The next step was to find a thimble to fit my thumb and work comfortably. I tried anything, but nothing worked. Then I created the prototype and with a little exercise I was off! Nocturnal Garden won Best of Show in Houston in 2001 and the ThumbThimble is now a patented quilting tool. Like most hand quilters I always quilted in a hoop. When I made my quilt Nocturnal Garden, embellished with Shi-Sha mirrors, I realized I could not quilt in a hoop: the mirrors would crack. Quilting in a frame was the only solution.
Starting position:Press the needle with your index finger against the cup of the ThumbThimble™, while placing the needle in a slightly backwards position (max 45°) in the quilt and then remove the index finger from the needle. 
Downward arc: guide, without any pressure, the needle further down till horizontal on the surface of the quilt. Tension: add extra tension by pressing your thumb deeper into the quilt AND your index finger to press the quilt the down near the anticipated exit of the tip of the needle. Push the needle through the quilt: you mastered ONE stitch!
very nice