Sewing over pins!
 

I know there have been many discussions about do/don't sew over pins....and I was just watching crafty BOM w/Laura Nownes. She was doing April block, secured curve seam to background piece w/pins and then proceeded to sew right over those pins! I had to "leave" to let you know.....I don't do it, but some do.

As an aside....I really wish her working area was a bit larger....makes me nervous the way everything is so squished on that little table she works from. And there is all that room around her! JMHO

I seem to remember when I learned to sew a hundred years ago, we went over the pins. Of course maybe that we were using what are now "vintage" singers and nothing electronic or computerized had something to do with it. Or not. Will wait to hear what everyone has to say.

I tend to remove them as I am sewing. My 1/4 in foot does not like to go over them. One of the quilting teachers I take classes from said that she sews over her pins all the time. If her needle breaks then she just changes it.

You can certainly sew over pins - however if you have a computerized machine and you hit one of those pins you have a good chance of throwing the timing out on your machine. When this happens you have no choice but to visit Mr. Sewing Machine Repair Man. Guess How I Know This! Yep I have done it. I am lucky and know someone who repairs machines and he was able to get me going the next day - otherwise it would have been a 2 week wait at the shop. Of course I was working on a deadline. Now I avoid them, that isn't to say that every once in a while I miss pulling out a pin, but when I realize it I have to say a little prayer of thanks that my needle didn't hit it. You can even hit a pin sometimes and not throw your machine out but that is just luck.

Before I started quilting, I would sew over pins quite often. I used to make clothes and costumes for my DD's when they were little and kept the pins in to keep everything from shifting, zippers especially. Now I seldom use pins when I sew. My machine is computerized and I am scared of messing it up by sewing over pins.

I can still remember my Mom getting quite mad at me for sewing over pins! This was way before any computerized machines were invented. I do still have the bad habit of sewing over pins. There are times when I just can't get the precise intersection without sewing over or right up to the pin, but I do this SLOWLY, so I know if the needle is going to impact the pin. One look at my pin magnet and you can tell I have sewn and bent more pins than should be allowed in a lifetime. I have been lucky.. no trips to the repair shop for sewing over pins. I do purge my pin magnet of bent pins prior to a visit from Mom( getting rid of the evidence).

I used to sew over pins, but decided that the only thing I was accomplishing was having to buy new needles and pins, so I take them out before I get to them.

I try to take pins out as I go, but since I have a good ol' mechanical machine, if I need to do it I zip right over them.

I used to sew over pins - until the day I was grateful I wore glasses for close work................... A pin shard actually bounced off the lens. Lesson learned.

I just watched that episode! She talked about placing the pins back enough to miss the 1/4" seam allowance .... and then sewed over the pins!! If you have a computerized machine and must sew over pins it is better to manually walk the machine over the pin. I do like her class and think she is a good teacher but that part was a bit perplexing.

i have noticed that many instructors try to give the "proper" way to do things, then let them slide once in a while when they get going. almost everyone i have watched has said to set the seams when ironing, then just opened the pieces and pressed without setting. the same thing with removing the pins. ha ha. unfortunately for them, they are being watched by thousands on the internet and get caught.

i have been teaching a friend who has never quilted. we are part of a group. i try hard to give her the "correct" way to do things. after she is on her own she can develop her own bad habits.

Guess I've been lucky. I have a computerized machine AND I sew over pins all the time. Now granted, I do tend to slow down when I get to them but I still sew over them. Rarely have I broken a needle doing this. And I've never hit one so hard that I've messed up the timing on my machine. As I said, guess I'm lucky. But I like things to stay where I put them till I'm finished sewing, thus the pins.

When I use pins, I place them far enough down on the fabric with the head facing away from the sewing needle and never get near the pin so I never sew over the pins. My old singer ran over pins all the time and I never had a problem with that machine. That was back in the 80s when I made clothes. Never will sew over a pin again!

My Mom was watching me sew on her 301 and as I took out the pins she said, "That machine will sew right over those pins." In Home Ec (many years ago) we all wanted to be assigned one of the new machines that would sew over pins. I remember one of my friends who was assigned an old machine saying, "I can't believe it! This machine just sewed over a pin!" I think it was a selling point at that time for the newer machines. I quit sewing over pins the day I hit one with my Kenmore and broke a needle which almost flew into my eye. Besides the safety factor, the computer machines are much more tempermental and delicate than the old metal geared ones.

My Pfaff sewed over many pins and never a problem. Both of my Juki's have bent up the extra fine pins I like and now I'm "retraining" myself to take them out. Especially after one got bent down into the feed dogs and I almost could't get it out.

I remember a sewing instructor at a Bernina store in the late 80s yelling at me I was wasting time if I took the pin out. She encouraged us to go right over the pins.

Now, I only do that if it is very very precision piecing and I can't risk shifting, and I do it very slowly. Also, not with my quarter inch foot- as it really doesn't go over pins well, but my regular foot does.

I'm scared of throwing the timing off my expensive machine, but with my cheaper machines (walmart variety) I never stopped for pins- broke a number of needles though...

Had that exact thing happen to me about a year ago. Thank goodness my DS was home with me. I went into a panic attack because of not being able to get the fabric and pin out. DS sent me out of my sewing room and took care of it for me. I've kept that pin as a reminder and ironically, it paid my son back. He knotted something a few months later and that pin what the only way to get the knot undone!

Andrea

I DO NOT sew over pins as I did one time many years ago and the needle broke, flew up and hit my glasses. Thank goodness for glasses. I do have a friend that use to sew over pins all the time until she bent the needle shaft on her Bernina and it costed her mega bucks to have it repaired. I try not to use many pins, but if I do, I remove them before they get under the needle. Just sayin'....

I don't sew over pins. Since my sewing machine dealer is 100 miles away, I don't want to have to make the trip because my needle hit a pin and got knocked out of time. Also, with my luck, if I were to sew over a pin it would break and hit me. No thanks! I just remove them. It really is not that tough to remove the pins. Why sew over them, it's just as easy to remove them.

My two machines are not computerized and the worst thing has happened is bending a needle. Once in a great while I hit a pin, not always.

i'm one of those who Always *tries* to play safe!!! so, i remove pins...I missed one once- my needle hit it, the needle broke, a piece of it flew up & stick right in the center of my glasses...if i had not been wearing glasses i would have had that piece of needle right in my eyeball....now just the thought of not pulling a pin terrifies me...and if i have any one in for classes or just for a sewing day i make sure they understand it does not take any time to slow down & remove pins as you go---once there is an injury it's not fun any more...not to mention all the machine repairs people have had due to throwing off their timing from running over pins...a very costly-dangerous bad habit to get into....and i started sewing way back in 1965 in 4-H...made clothes for 40+ years...we were taught to ALways remove pins...it was not an acceptable action back then either.

I generally take them out but on occasion I miss one and it only takes one "clunk" to bring me back to reality. The old Singer used to go in for timing issues all the time when I would hit a needle - fortunately the Baby Lock is not that easy to rattle.

I don't sew over pins, you have to take them out anyways so why not do it as you are going along...

You are absolutely right, I too was taught to sew over pins. I decided not to do it after my sewing machine needle caused a pin to break and the sharp point missed my eye by about 2 inches.


QUOTE=Stitchnripper;5979365]I seem to remember when I learned to sew a hundred years ago, we went over the pins. Of course maybe that we were using what are now "vintage" singers and nothing electronic or computerized had something to do with it. Or not. Will wait to hear what everyone has to say.[/QUOTE]

I must be lazy in some way or another. When I'm pinning pieces together, I sew over my pin's. Have broken a few needles. But I'm afraid if I come to joining pieces that are pinned, they wont have that close butting up look. Like I said, Im a little lazy, I don't want to stop everytime I come to a pin.

Well, when you break the needle going over that pin it takes time to remove everything and then put in a new needle and begin again....and if you guide you seam correctly and have those seams "snuggled" the correct way those seams will meet like bread and butter.

Ever try setting in a sleeve without sewing over pins? It's hard to do. But since I just quilt now and found out about Elmers washable glue, I'm gradually kicking the "over the pins sewing":)

After watching many of the quilting shows lately, I notice the trend is not pinning. Butt up, lock, snuggle...no pins. Made me want a new sewing machine. I fear the needle in the eye and remove pins.

I took sewing classes all through junior high and high school. All three of my teachers told us to sew over pins. That was long before computerized sewing machines. And it seems that the older machines are better at jumping those pins. I still take the chance with my computerized machines if its a tricky seam. Its hard to break the old habits.

I watched that and rewatched it after it looked to me like she went over the pins. After seeing it a second time, I don't think she went over the pins. The pins are out of the seam allowance. IMHO I love her hint about moving the pins back. Don't know why I didn't think of it before.

My Brother SQ9000 does not like going over pins, and so I do not force it. I've heard that is not good for the machine, and it doesn't do the pins any favor either. lol. I prefer to take them out one by one as I approach them. And being left-handed, that means that I am sqeezing my hand into the small space every time. They were not thinking of me when they designed these machines.....

What if the broken needle hit you in the eye or do you wear goggles while quilting. The only time I sew over pins is when I walk the needle over the pin by hand. can't take a chance on hurting myself

I sew over pins, but I do slow down when I get to them. Never had a problem. Have had a few broken needles but they didnt' do any damage to me or the machine.

Now that we all know how great a little elmers glue is, there is no reason to risk it one way or the other. And I am accident prone when it comes to my eyes, so no flying needle pieces here.

I have sewn over pins on some occasions. Never had a problem with it.

I don't really sew "over" pins. If I need to leave them in to keep the fabric from shifting, then I will "hand" crank the needle just to make sure it doesn't hit the pins.

But, since so many talked about using glue, maybe just gluing a difficult area would be better.

Started sewing in early 60's and sewed over pins for years, try to remove them now on two newer machines as both are computerized. Never had a problem, maybe 1-2 needles broken in all those years at most. Singer 201 and Kenmore sew over them just fine.

I take out the pins as I sew. My Mom always took the pins out as she was sewing. She still sews on a Kenmore she bought 40 years ago.

I do have several of those flat quilting pins with the flower on them with little needle holes ...lol
It is a pain the behind when I do this cause I have to rip the seam out to retrieve the injured flower pin.

I learned to sew 50+ years ago and I always sewed over pins - the machine was not computerized of course. I stopped sewing for quite a number of years and have just gotten into it again. Have a computerized machine and have realized, as others have not to sew over pins anymore.

I teach quilting classes and the first thing that my students learn is that they are not to sew over pins.
My reason for this is that many years ago I let my sister use my sewing machine and she was instructed to not sew over the pins. Well that request went unheeded and she did sew over the pins. Heard the needle hit the pin and subsequently she broke the shaft of the sewing machine. This would have been a costly fix of $500.00 but the sewing machine shop put it under warranty and it cost nothing.
If you do sew over them just be prepared