I've been reading the thread about grumpy husbands and several times pins on the floor and sticking feet has come up


My DH (now deceased) had diabetes and any foot injury was very serious.

I am a hand quilter and also lap quilt. I learned NEVER to use more than 2 pins at a time. That way I could hunt if one went missing. It was difficult if it was an applique project, but it was necessary

I also bought a very powerful magnet and used it if something got lost -- even needles disappear.

Pins and feet are a hazard to each other.

Mim

Thanks for posting. We always need this reminder.

I was so glad when I moved into a new place and my studio had wood floors instead of carpet, so no more pins sticking out if they fell, plus I can hear them landing.

Still, I have a pair of "inside shoes" that I only wear indoors... there are lots of sharp hazards, like dropping the rotary cutter or scissors. :)

Yep, this is a great reminder! Your housemate(s) might not have this problem, but then again they might - diabetes is tragically often not diagnosed until after problems have already surfaced. You also never know if a guest might have the same concerns; if they don't sew they'll NEVER think to watch out for needles on the floor.

Many many years ago -- right after DH and I were married, I stepped on a cross-stitch (tapestry sized) needle and it broke off between two toes....had to go to the ER to get it removed....

So I tend to be VERY VERY careful with needles!

I do have that problem! Hand sewing needles getting lost is an even bigger problem than pins! I do have a magnet! It helps, especially for big spills of the pin container! Vigilance around the sewing areas is important! We don't go barefoot in our house very much, but it only takes one time for an injury! I am so thankful when I find the dropped needle!

I drop them sometimes, but I always know it. I never wear shoes inside, so I've learned to be careful.

In my family, Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT), an inherited nerve disorder, forces us to be careful, too. I have some mild neuropathy in my feet, and my 12 year old nephew appears to have a bad case of CMT. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather also suffer/suffered from it, as do two more of my brothers.

So we, too, are careful of pins and other small items that could be stepped on. When my nephew is over for a weekend, I always make him clean up the path from the bed to the door - but make it a joke. I say to him, "Don't call me to complain about your sore foot if you need to get up in the dark and step on that..." He always gets the message.

Good reminders. I haven't had much of a problem with stepping on dropped pins but our now departed dog Lucy was attracted to shiny objects. I had to pull a pin out from between her teeth. Just glad I got it before she swallowed it. So there are lots of reasons for us to be careful.

I know what you mean here. I had a good friend who had a dog and while she was making some curtains she dropped a pin and her poor dog got it hung in his throat and cost her over
four hundred dollars for surgery to remove it, so yes it can and will in some case's cost you a big vet Bill are even your pets life if it isn't caught in time. :(

The title of this thread reminds me of that song, "Pants on the Ground..."

Now that is a song that MUST have a story -- I've never heard it

Mim

Well, I admit, I am notorious for dropping pins and leaving them on the floor till I clean up after the project is finished. I never walk around barefoot, so I don't worry as much as I probably should. My grandson loves to use the extension magnet when he comes for a visit, so they get picked up every weekend regardless.

It has absolutely nothing to do with sewing. A guy wrote this song about boys who try to be cool by wearing their pants too low. He sang it on "American Idol" and got his 15 minutes of fame from it. Kind of catchy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoAMWnnz98w