I try to buy only Clover brand pins now, as they seem to last longer than some others I have purchased.

There is quite a difference in pins .... run of the mill variety vs. sharp and pointy from the get-go!
I've learned to not chintz-out when it comes to buying my pins.
(not saying that you do SusieQOH .... just an observation and lesson learned on my part)

And don't get me going about those curved safety pins they sell for pin-basting!
I tried them, but I swear they had no point on them to push through the fabric.
As a result, I didn't last long at pin-basting.

Don't wait to start quilting, just don't start a big full project. Start now making A block. Try a couple simple blocks, bring your 1/4" skills back into play. You can store these blocks in a cardboard, stackable pizza boxes (new and free from most pizza shops) and maybe someday you can assemble them or use them in centerpieces, table runners or on tote bags. This way you will use your limited time to have fun and sharpen your skills for when you can do it fulltime!

Thanks to everyone for the responses. It does seem like the pins, more than anything else, seem to be the dull culprits.

I appreciate all the encouragement to dive back into the quilting now!

Thanks!

I have hand sewing needles left to me by my maternal grandmother who passed in 1982 at the age of 88 (I am the only sewer among the grands). They are called gold eye needles because the eyes of the needles are coated in gold so they do not fray the thread as it goes through the eye. I love using them as they go through the fabric like butter. They could be a hundred years old for all I know.