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Pin the way that works best for you. I have a friend that pins totally opposite of the way I pin. I am a righty. She is a lefty. That is probably why we pin differently. Remember, there are NO quilt police. That goes for pinning also.

I am a righty and pin with the heads facing to the left like the OP does. It is the way I have always pinned even when sewing garments. I pin this way for quilting, because after I pin, I spread apart the area of the seam allowance the pin is holding to ensure it is lined up. Seems to me the other way the pin would completely block the area I am trying to open up and see. I use a presser foot not a speed control so I will slow way down when approaching my pin. Sometimes I simply back out the pin with my left hand enought for the presser foot to go over, sometimes I can tell I can sew over it without hitting it and other times I stop the machine completely with needle down and pull out the pin.

I agree with MacThayer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misty's Mom (Post 6483502)

I pin the same as you. I'm a lefty too and it just makes sense to have the pin positioned so that I can remove it before it gets to the needle.

I to pin this way, I'm a lefty also, so I guess this is the way that we do it since the pins are on the left and we are lefty's it makes since to do it this way to us. I agree we do things different, but we still can do anything we want just like the righty's.

I pin with heads to the right and remove pins as I sew the seam.

BUT when I'm making a Log Cabin quilt, I pin parallel to the seam, chain piece like mad, and remove the pins after I get to the end.

Did I mention I have tons of those wonderful thin glass headed pins? :D

SueSew,
I can do you one better, I pin both right and left handed!!! Never thought of it before I was looking at your question. I use both hands about the same, so I pin using the hand that works best with what ever I'm doing.
So to answer your question: Right or Left it only matters to you and your project, if it feels good and it works GO FOR IT

Quote:

Originally Posted by pocoellie (Post 6483574)

That's how I do my pinning, so I think it has to do with you being left handed, I'm right handed and everyone I know, that's right handed, does it the same.

Same here. :)

I pin with the head of the pin to my left. I thought it just made sense because then I didn't have to reach into the space under the arm of the machine. Now I find out it's because I'm left handed. I learn something every day.

Guess us lefties just do it our own way. We are unique you know. Lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb in Louisiana (Post 6484251)

I learned to sew my own clothes by the time I was in the 5th grade, which was a pretty long time ago. All the patterns back then showed the pins going from left to right, with the head on the right. Pinning across the seam had several advantages. If you had to ease fabric in, you could keep the fabric you were sewing into from crumpling up. If you had to match darts or seams, you could pin through the points where they had to match and everything was good enough to go through the fashion police... My Mother. On some long straight seams, if the material was moving or showed the pin holes, I would put the pin in straight with the seam and take it out as I reached it. I used to sew over the pins that were pinned across the seam, but no more. These complicated computerized machines don't like it. They'll jump time in a single hit of the pin. My mother taught me to guide the material with my left hand, since that was where the bulk of the fabric was. I should mention that I am right handed, but even if I was a lefty, I would always put my pins in from right to left, so that my left hand could stabilize the fabric as it is being pulled through the presser foot.

If what you are doing works for you, then it's the right way to do it. For me, it's right to left.

ps....The harps on the older sewing machines were pretty small. You had to keep the bulk of the fabric to the left. There weren't any seam guidelines on the left, only on the right on my sewing machine. I still have a lot of trouble when I have to turn a seam, think Y seam, and sew with the seam width to the left. Sometimes, it's very hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Well said. I too pin from the right because that is what I was taught in clothing construction. When sewing on some fabrics, pins in the body put holes in the fabric that don't go away.

I am a leftie and I pin like the video. maybe because I was taught by my Mom who is right-handed?