Editing Thimble (section)

==Sewing palms==
A variation on the thimble used by [[sailmaker]]s and leather workers is the '''sail palm''', also known as ''sailor's palm'' and ''sailmaker's palm''. There are two variations, ''seaming palm'' which is used for light work, such as sewing canvas together and ''roping palm'' which is built for heavier work, such as sewing canvas and rope together.<ref name="abokdj">{{Citation|last=Ashley|first=Clifford W.|title=[[The Ashley Book of Knots]]|orig-year=1944|year=1993|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York|isbn=0-385-04025-3 | pages=20–22}}</ref><ref name="Army2013">{{cite book|author=United States Government US Army|title=Technical Manual TM 4-42.21 (FM 10-16) General Fabric Repair July 2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VW-vAAAAQBAJ&pg=SA7-PA3|date=3 September 2013|publisher=ebook Publishing Team|isbn=978-1-4923-2099-9|pages=7–3}}</ref>  This item consists of a pitted hard plate set into a stiff leather band that is worn around the palm of the hand, with the plate resting against the [[Metacarpophalangeal joint|first joint of the thumb]].  It is used by grasping a needle between the thumb and indexing finger, with the eye end of the needle against the pitted plate, and pushing the needle with the entire arm. Most palms are hand specific to give the user a better fit. <ref name="Smith2012">{{cite book|author=Hervey Garrett Smith|title=The Arts of the Sailor: Knotting, Splicing and Ropework|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4h7QsxJ8JyoC|date=8 August 2012|publisher=Courier Corporation|isbn=978-0-486-13268-6}}</ref>  This design permits the sewer to exert a great amount of force when pushing thick needles through very tough materials such as sail cloth, canvas or leather. <ref name="Casey1996">{{cite book|author=Don Casey|title=Canvaswork and Sail Repair|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WI__lvheIRkC|date=1 June 1996|publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-013391-4}}</ref>