off the index finger or even the thumb. There’s no single correct finger. Whatever finger naturally does the shoving is the one that needs armor.
To actually sew, hold the needle between your thumb and index finger, then push the eye end against your thimble to drive the point through the fabric. The thimble takes the pressure, the needle goes where you want it, and your fingertip stays intact.
I learned why people bother the hard way, hemming a pair of jeans one evening with no thimble in sight. Denim does not care about your bare finger. Every stitch through the folded seam meant leaning on the needle, and after about the fourth pass I was wincing and shaking out my hand between stitches. A thimble would have made that whole grumpy half hour a non-event.
Fit matters more than you’d think. A thimble should sit snug enough to stay
