were the most mentioned by far, as were all of Clover's pins. It's clear that a fine, sharp, and long pin are what we, as quilters are drawn to. And I'm with a few of you wanting to try the fork pins
- I always pin on both sides of the seam intersection, and these make so much sense! 
To be honest in the past I've been drawn to the 500 pack
of pins because I'm such a stickler about pinning, and pinning everything all at once. But I plan to start small, this time, and work on a large collection of really nice pins. A few of you mentioned emory pin cushions, friends on twitter have also suggested crushed walnut shells. Julie tells me you can find it easily at pet supply stores - it's lizard litter! LOL but it works!
One last question for all of you - How often do you replace your pins? I'm sure it depends on use, but I wanted to throw it out there :)
Thanks again~
Amy
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I replace my pins as they get bent, nicked or dull. I usually buy a few packages of the Clover Extra Fine pins every time they are on sale at Joann's and then I always have them :)
ReplyDelete~ Jennie ~
I am always buying pins.... I just don't know where they go!
ReplyDeleteI angle my pinning to pin on both sides of a seam. I start by pinning down through the right side of a seam and then come up through the left side. Does that make sense? If not, I can post a picture!
ReplyDeleteI bend my pins as I use them because I think they are faster to use, that way, but I replace them when they start snagging fabric or get severely bent out of shape!
I shelled out the big bucks for the forked pins - and never use them. They're super-sharp in a scary way and yet difficult to slide in. I feel like I get more accurate results using the pins on each side of the seam. Save your money for fabric!
ReplyDeleteAmy, My sister gave me some great thin long pins from the quilt store. Not sure of the name, but I love them and they work best for batiks because of the tight weave. The only problem is they bend, but that doesn't stop me, I just bend them back into shape. I usually throw my pins away if I can't whip them back into shape. Interesting topic, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteReplace pins? Um....I suppose I should do that from time to time, lol. Most of my quilts are of the wonky variety, and I'm not a big fan of pinning, so I'm no guide in this area, lol!
ReplyDeleteI throw out pins that a bent or dull! I have tons of pins...and it is nice to know I can always find them handy.
ReplyDeleteI know this sounds crazy-but I wonder how it would be using pins that have been in walnut shells for someone who was allergic (for gift quilts). I guess if you washed it first it would be ok. My dd is allergic and even touching something that has touched walnuts makes her break out or worse-I can't even imagine her wrapping up in something like that. But I guess most people don't have to worry about that and washing should remove any residue. Just sounds scary to me since we have to deal with it I guess.
ReplyDeleteSorry to jump in late on the pin quest, my favorite pins bar none are IBC Glass Head Silk Pins -- thin and sleek, they go smoothly through the fabric. LOVE THEM. Wouldn't quilt without them. They were originally imported by Clotilde (clotilde.com) but now are available from other sources. LOVE THEM. ;-) I dole them out judiciously on my pin cushion and replace them if they get bent. I've gone through maybe two boxes of them in 10 years.
ReplyDeleteAll right, I am now going to need to get some new pins and finally make a cute pincushion after all this wonderful talk of pins! Thanks for the tips, Amy.:)
ReplyDeleteI just got some new pins a couple months ago. My old ones are from... 8th grade. Yep.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if anyone mentioned this in the last post, but you might want to get/save some short pins for garment sewing. I used my long pins when I was making a dress for my girl, and they made it very difficult, especially on the narrow sleeve opening!
I don't have a specific 'toss them all out and get new pins' point. I get rid of them on an individual basis. If a pin doesn't go in the fabric, it gets tossed. It if it is bent, it gets tossed. And the most obvious -- if the head falls off, it gets tossed (ha, ha, ha!).
ReplyDelete