I use the curved safety pins....ummm, they don't fall out while in storage! LOL First I put them in without closing them, check the back for creases & wrinkles, etc., then close them using one of 2 tools. The first is a sort of straight metal rod with channels in the end of it & a nice fat handle to hang on to. The other one my sister sent me from Australia, and it's a neat little spoon with a little v-shaped cut out at the end of the 'bowl'. Both of them work great & make it much easier on the old hands! I've also heard of using a grapefruit spoon or "spork", and crochet hooks too.
For my regular pinning, I use flat-head pins - they are my favorite - but when I tried to use them for basting, well, I still have the scars to show for THAT experiment! lol