Sewing Over Pins: Tips and Techniques

Pin Types

Ashley Hough talks about some of the different types of pins available in many craft and sewing stores today and gives you several tips for choosing sewing pins. If you are someone who struggles with putting pins in place or picking them up due to arthritis or other hand issues, pins with soft silicone grips may be the best choice for you. Because of the grips on these pins they can be much larger than standard pins, meaning you may want to avoid sewing over them.

Ashley also shows several other pins you may want to avoid sewing over because of their size and thickness. Ashley then talks about some of the different types of pins that are easy to sew over, if you choose to do so, because of their thinness. These pins are known as silk or satin pins and are very fine. While you still run the risk of hitting the pin if you choose to sew over it, these pins are very flexible and tend to bend before a needle breaks.

Pin Placement

Ashley also talks about other sewing tips and techniques like pin placement and how placing your pins in a different area or in a different direction can make it so you can either sew past the pins or more easily remove the pins. Short pins, like applique or sequin pins, can be placed further back off of the seam allowance so you can easily sew past them, while placing the pin so the head of the pin is in the direction of your dominant hand makes removing them easier.