Dear Geraldine,
Is it ok to sew over pins?
I’m hearing differing opinions from my sewing friends and I’m writing to you to settle things once and for all.
-Ambivalent in Albuquerque
Dear Ambivalent,
Some swear they've mastered the art of playing chicken with the sewing pins, claiming it saves time. It seems like such a harmless shortcut, until it isn't...
True, the majority of times you won’t hit a pin with your needle, but it’s only a matter of time and statistics- you WILL hit one!
Our trusty sewing machines are meant to sew fabric, not metal. Sewing needles that meet with metal will get bent, and often break and go flying. Obviously needles and pins flying about can be quite the hazard. They may hit you in the moment, or you may step on them later. Ouch!
Replacing bent or broken machine needles is a pain, and the cost adds up. Plus, hitting that pin can cause internal damage to your machine from the impact. Broken as needle points can end up in your bobbin racer and cause untold damage and frustration. This is not to mention the bane of any sewer’s existence- taking your machine in to be repaired. (So expensive and all the time not being able to use your machine. Ugh.)
It’s just not worth it. It might take an extra moment to remove those pins while sewing but it's worth it for the longevity of your machine and, more importantly, your safety.
If you just can't resist trying to sew over those pins, let’s talk about alternatives to pins for keeping your fabric layers in place whilst sewing. Depending on your sewing project, you have several options:
Good old fashioned thread basting- use old or off color thread to hold layers in place with large, easily removable stitches
Glue basting- use washable glue stick or liquid glue, or basting to keep seams (and quilt layers) in place
Sewing clips- this is the latest innovation- tiny little clothespin like clips that firmly hold layers together. Pinch your layers right outside the sewing ‘line’ and you can leave them in. Or remove them as you go. Bonus- you won’t stick yourself on them AND they are magnetic just like pins, so you can toss them onto a magnetic wrist pincushion to corral them. Love Sew carries both!
Hem clips- These will not only hold hems in place instead of pins, but they have measurements on them to keep your hems even!
I hope that not only answers your question, but offers you some useful alternatives. To each their own, but in my opinion, sewing over pins is a really good habit to break!
Love always and happy sewing,
Geraldine
P.S. Please share your thoughts on sewing over pins, solutions, and pins-go flying-stories!
10 comments
It’s not worth the risk!!
My Mom always sewed over pins, so that is how I was taught. I’ve gotten better about removing them, and now use the clips whenever feasible. The key to using pins is that they need to be at right angles to the feed dogs and they need to be straight. Bent or crooked pins will not feed through and will cause you to break a needle. I’m in my 70s so I have sewn over pins for the last 60 plus years.
I had to learn the hard way, but it is such a hard habit to break!
I totally agree. One thing that has really helped me is to keep my machine in the “needle down” position. So, whenever I stop sewing, the machine needle is down in the fabric. That holds it in place while I remove the pin immediately in front of it.
I agree! I never sew over pins unless it is crucial to keeping fabric in place such as easing a shoulder seam. Then I turn hand-wheel by hand a stitch at a time to make sure I don’t hit a pin. I have been hit on the face or my glasses from a flying piece of needle to many times even not sewing over a pin. Plus with the cost of getting timing fixed on my machine, it’s just not worth it.