Originally Posted by Minda
I use safety pin covers and a Kwik Klip when I pin bast (no more sore fingers). I use the Kwik Klip to close the pins and to open them when I remove them. It's one of the best quilting investments I've ever made. The clips are tedious to put on, but once they are on you never take them off. I also always store my safety pins open. When you are ready to pin just shake a clump of pins over the area you are working on and they fall right apart. The first site below shows how they work, but the second site has better prices. If you pin baste, you'll wonder how you ever got along without these tools.
Ditto to the some of the above; no Kwik Klip or covers; I use a tool from an old manicure set to help open & close the pins ... it works o.k. Also, I wrap the 3 quilt layers around the edge of my plywood table and clip (large spring clips from the an office supply) all around the quilt section, making sure the layers are all smooth and taut before I pin. When one section is done, I un-clip, move to another section and repeat. My tabletop is about 38" from the floor, which is the perfect height for no back pain/strain for me. I have hand basted in the past, but I'm a little sloppy with it so do much better with the little curved safety pins. I have a bazillion of them, my theory being that you can never have too many.