I had the same issue with a package of the basting safety pin--it was a big pain in the rear to push them through the quilt sandwich. They must have a quality control issue. Hope they deal with it soon. I have some flower head pins that work very well and I'm pretty sure that they were made by Clover. I would insist on a refund for a defective product and if you have trouble with Joann's then you might send an email to Fons and Porter.