Do Blades or Needles Go Bad?
 

I hoard nearly everything I need to quilt. The problem is, I never quilt. I am building a great inventory for when I retire in 6 months where I envision I am going to be a real quilting beast!

I've heard about cotton thread deteriorating over time. Fabric can mildew and get fragile if not stored properly.

What about rotary blades and needles still in the original packaging? I've noticed that my pins seems to have a shelf life. They don't glide so easily after time. Do I have to worry about my rotary blades and needles, too?

As long as they are dry and don't rust, I think they're ok forever.

I wouldn't think so, if they're made of steel, titanium, etc, unless they were to get wet and rust. Left in tight packaging, I can't imagine they'd suffer at all. I'm no chemist, and have not done a stitch of research, but this is what I believe based on my rudimentary knowledge of metal--not specifically metal notions. Needles I found when I bought a 1950s Singer were still good as new.

That said, I wouldn't hoard any more. Go ahead and see what kind of "quilting beast" you actually become in retirement and start by using what you've stored.

when I was first married, I did a lot of sewing, even for hire. I bought a lot of machine needles. Then I didn't sew much for about 25 years. I'm back into it, and am not finding any problem using the needles I bought back then.

I have also not heard of any problems with using needles made back around 1900 for vintage machines. Many of these machines use sizes that can not be bought today. There are still quite a few packages of unused, 100 year old needles available.

Depends how you store your needles and how much humidity there
is in your house. If your pins go bad, so will your needles.
I store all my new needles in a sealed plastic container like Snap On
or whatever it's called. No problem that way.

i buy my needles bulk and they come with a sheen of light oil on them so I have to wipe them off a touch before I use them. I figure the oil is keeping them from rusting and I'd had no issues. My fabric stash ranges from last year to over 10 years old and I keep it in a climate closet away from sunlight with cedar packets and no problems (knock on wood.) As for pins, they seem to be awful these days, I've tried a few brands and they all seem super bendy and with burrs and some are rusted right out of the package.

What are you waiting for!? I know we are all busying with work and life and all that but I find that carving out even a few minutes a day for my sewing hobby is so good for my soul!

Rotary blades also come with a thin coat of oil, which helps them move against the handle. They should be fine in original sealed packaging. I have also used hand sewing needles that are decades old, and only find rusty pins inserted in fabric.

I had some rotary blades from Harbor Freight. Unopened in the original packaging. The oil sort of dried up, leaving a gunky, sticky film on the blades. I don't know if the same thing could happen to quality blades.

"after time" .... if you are meaning after you have been using them for awhile, that is different than starting with new, never out of the package. Yes, pins are not as sharp or glide as easily after time/use. The point gets damaged from use. Also, the pin can get dirty/damaged with use too. Just the same as how your rotary blade wears out .... or you can take the first cut and damage the blade by slicing against a ruler, for example.

As the others have said, unopened needles and rotary blades should be just fine despite how long you have them on hand, providing they are stored properly.

I just replaced all my pins because it seemed they were all dull. I bought several different ones and one set seems as dull as the ones they replaced! Oh well.........

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.