Product Review: Marcia Baraldi Quilting Grip Gloves Part 1

 

I like to do both walking foot and free motion machine quilting and for that to work out for my hands, I need some help. Usually I wear these Machingers quilting gloves which are wonderful. These are a great improvement over the knit gardening gloves I used to wear back when I started quilting. They're lightweight and flexible and the grippy material on the finger tips helps a lot.

 I also use the Steady Betty Bands quite a bit, I reviewed them here. the foam grippers really help me to not grab onto the quilt as I'm moving it around and keep more of my palm in contact. That's where the real control comes in. It also saves you from very sore hands.

Recently I saw a recommendation for this new to me quilting glove design made by a Brazilian quilter, Marcia Baraldi.

They're very adjustable and feel great, nothing scratchy or poky which I'm pretty sensitive to. They were easy to get situated on my hands and adjusted to a firm but not too tight fit. I have very large hands, and these gloves are only offered in one-size fits all so I was happy to see how well they fit me. It's possible they'd be too large for someone with very small hands. 

Instead of the Machingers gloves emphasis on the grippy-ness of just the fingertips, this design is all about the palm. And they cover much more of the palm than the Betty Bands. This will mean they're much better for control, and for saving your hands, especially if you have arthritis or other hand issues. It's also better ergonomically for your neck, upper back and shoulders because if your fingers aren't in derma-grip tension then the rest of you can relax. 

When I opened up the package, the smell was really overwhelming so I wasn't able to try using them on a quilt right away, After a few days, including one outside in the sun, the smell pretty much went away. The bands that go around your hand and finger are made out of a soft neoprene. Maybe that's what it was? Or something to do with the rubbery textured palm piece? 

As I was writing this post I noticed in the pictures how dirty my Machingers and Betty Bands were, so I washed them and hung them out side to dry along with the Grip Gloves. Much better! Usually when I'm done quilting, the last thing I think about is washing my tools. The Machingers fingertips did not come quite clean because of the rubberized coating, not sure what to do about that. No all-white quilts for me I guess.

 

Part 2 of  the review tomorrow after I actually do some quilting with them.