I was stitching along and accidently sewed over a pin. It made me remember how the big advance in sewing was the hinged foot. The ballyllhoo was that you could sew over pins!! And we did it for years. THEN the wisdom was don't sew over pins. It is hard on the pins and if the needle hits it, it can break. So I avoid stitching over them, do you?

I try not too but I don't pin a lot. It is better for your machine (I think) to remove the pins as you get to them.

dont sew over them. don't want to risk an accident of breaking one and it flying into my face or my kids face if they are around.

I try my best not to sew over them. It can also cause a timing problem with your machine if you hit one just right.

mltquiit

I put pins in horizonally about a half inch from the edge, that way the pins keeps the fabric together and I don't sew over them. Just hate the sound of a needle breaking, been there,done that; and possibly bending the shaft.

Carol J.

I sew over them. And yes, sometimes I break a needle doing so. That's why I have plenty extra needles in my sewing desk!

I pull them out just before the fabric hits the presser foot. Its a safety issue.

I try not too.

I'm horrified that the needle will break and fly into my eye...so I don't sew over them!

That was one of the things I had to get used to. I always used to sew over them then after not sewing for years I have to retrain my self.

I was taught that it is ok to sew over them... But I don't now....

Just like everything else - we learn new things

I find if I slow down my machine tends to find it's way over the pin without hitting it. I very rarely break a needle. Too lazy to stop and pull out every pin! Of course I avoid pinning at all whenever possible!

I try not to, but sometimes they just appear and I do hit them!!

I just bought a new Brother machine this year from a dealer. I go back to that dealer often to by thread because I get a discount on everything else in the store since I purchased a machine. Anyway while talking to the dealer a couple of weeks go she warned me harshly not to sew over the pins, alot of the new models can short out if you jam a pin in them. Now I've been sewing for years and its a habit to sew over them, thats how every sewing teacher I had taught. But with the fear of shorting out my machine, in the last few weeks I've been taking the pins out just as I get to them. Not a hard habit to break when you talk about hundreds of dollars to fix. Warranty doesn't cover it if they find a pin jammed in there somewhere. Sometimes I think all these bells and whistles arent worth the hassle.

I used to but don't much anymore. If I think I need to, to hold the fabric, I will stop and 'walk' the machine over it.

rarely use them & when i do i don't put them in the way of the foot...
there ARE ways of sewing over them w/o breaking anything-- seems like a no brainer...

I always try not to sew over pins, happens though
:!:

It is not a good idea but I do all the time - but I am very careful and go slowly when I do this. If you hit a pin just right, you can really mess up your machine. After working for Viking, I have seen some very unhappy machines that ran over too many pins.

If I have a block or a border that I need to "ease" into place and it would require many pins, I do what we used to do in clothing construction with sleeves. I run a tad longer stitch just inside the seam allowance and loosen the tension. I then pull one thread to tighten up the stitches (like you would gather but without the gathers - does this make sense??). Works great for easing one block to another when they are a bit off.

I try and avoid sewing over them.

I do remember sewing over pins, along with broken needles and bent pins and sometimes damage to the fabric, so I decided that that's ridiculous to keep replacing needles and pins and have been taking the pins out before the needle gets there for many years.

I don't sew over pins.

I pin below the stitch line. I never sew over them - just above them.

only if I HAVE HAVE HAVE to due to ease. I go really slow, and if I can, pull it out just as I get to it. But, my machine is an old Singer 403, nothing to short out. Will not dream of it with my new to me computerized machine.

One thing that works well with easing quilt blocks when attaching rows & larger pieces, I put 2 pins parrallell to where the seam line will be, 1/2 inch apart, and sew between them.

For ease assistance, I have a "useless" pink singer seam ripper (tip too fat to ease under a thread & cutting field is in wrong place) that I use to push upper ease under the foot, I push with the ball. It helps a surprising amount.

I know several people who have had problems with their machines after sewing over pins...or rather sewing onto a pin. Besides breaking needles, it can mess up your machine, and can be costly to fix. Better to take out your pins just before you get to them.

I do this as well - works great - but I use it sideways and use the back edge of the tip piece.

As most of us were taught to sew over pins by our home make teachers in school, I used to but don't any more. I don't use pins often due to my tremors ,I stick my self more than the fabric, I found some small clippies that I use
and they must be removed to big to sew over. But I have had the pins or needle break and fly out , hit me since I wear glasses missed the eyes, so not sewing over them is a good idea.

enjoyed your moosehaven blog.

This is what I do. But try not to go over them or even use them unless I absolutely have to.

I also try not to, especially after hitting a pin once that broke and hit me in the face. All I could think of, what if it had flew in my eye instead of my cheek?

I was taught to "sew over"...and that's fine on the vintage machines, with the exceptions of the whole breaking needle thing.
The reason I stopped? I don't think I have a vintage machine that doesn't have "pin scratches" on the bed.

the Ozarks are pretty hot this time of the year, I have a daughter that lives there. Oregon coast is nice.

Ditto

I was taught by my mom centuries ago, to never sew over pins. To this day I don't

True about causing a timing problem, I usually do not sew over pins, but accidently hit one once and threw the timing off in my machine, would only go 2 or 3 stitches and then stop indicating thread trouble. Needed service to restore it back, a $85. lesson learned.

I now make sure I stop and remove pins

and how is Tulsa weather today? I'm from McAlester, years ago :lol: was back there in may2010

I don't sew over them unless I need to make sure nothing moves at that point but I do go a lot slower over them trying to stop right before.

I completely ruined a machine by hitting a pin a few years ago. Expensive lesson learned...

Yes I do as just the other day I missed the removal of one and broke my sewing machine needle. What a pain to have to stop right in the middle of what you are doing to replace the needle.

as I use quilting pins (big, thick with beads on end) so I can see them on the rugs when I drop them, I don't sew over them but take them out first -- machine seems to like that better -- when I used the very thin little ones, I did sew over them as the machine didn't seem to care -- yes, I remember....

I have a Pfaff 2040. Love it! However, I normally don't sew over pins but sometimes I lose my concentration and viola I sew over a pin. Did that and never again. The needle broke and bent the mechanism inside my machine and had to have the piece replaced. An expensive lesson learned. I vote, "Best not to sew over pins!"
Yolanda Wood River