Help Needed!

Good Morning ladies!

I am in need of your assistance this morning
.

As you can see from the pics, I am currently in the throws of wrapping up many mitten quilt orders. I have spent a great deal of time stitching lately as the entirety of the stitching around the mittens is done by hand. As a result, something curious has happened. I have worn the skin off of my left hand between my index finger and thumb where my hoop is constantly touching. Now, I have been stitching all of my life and have never had that happen! My index finger on my right hand will occasionally become a little tender depending on the thickness of the fabric I am working my needle through, but I have never had the skin on my left hand blister and peel off!

Has this ever happened to any of you and if so, do you have a solution?

I have switched from my wooden hoop to a plastic hoop, even though I feel like my wooden hoop holds the fabric more taut, the plastic seems to be be less abrasive. I'm probably just going to slap on a band aid, but if you have a magical cure - please let me know!

Aren't these fabrics fun?
I have been designing mitten quilts from them for customers and I am loving working with the bright colors.

(This is my hand and the hand of my daughter, she was six at the time, sewing a Christmas quilt for one of her dolls)

Speaking of mitten quilts...

Typically I work when my children are at school or sleeping. When they are home and awake I try to give them my full and undivided attention. However, this Saturday, I needed to spend part of the day working on mitten quilts. I was working with a quilt made from the bright fabrics pictured above when my seven year old daughter came into the room. (Well, room is a stretch. I work on our kitchen table which is situated so that if you are doing anything but sleeping, you are probably where I am working) Anyway, my daughter wanted to know who the mitten quilt was for, to which I replied that I was, at the moment, making two for a brother and a sister just a little bit older then she is. To which she replied, 'No fair! How come they get the quilts?' I then told her it was because their mom had paid me to make them for her. After a few moments of thought she said,

'Mom, if I pay you some money will you make me a mitten quilt?'

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So I just gave her a big hug instead. Later that night, when she was supposed to be in bed, she tiptoed out to the table, snuggled next to me on the bench and watched me sew until I tucked her back in.

I do believe that there will be a mitten quilt made just for her to discover this December.