ManiacQuilter2

I use pins but I try to pin parallel to the seam to be sewn and only pin vertically to keep the seam on the bottom in place. I try not to run over a pin because the pin will get bent and most likely I will break a needle. I try to stop and pull pin just before the needle reaches the pin. Most of the time I succeed but occasionally I fail and it is time to hunt for the screwdriver in order to replace the needle.

Vicki1212

Yes Tom, normal straight pins. I'm liking the idea of placing pins just inside the stitching line as a few people mentioned. Never thought to do that because my right handed brain likes to have the pin heads on the right hand side

ShelleyCS

I use the clover extra fine patchwork pins and I do slowly sew over. I haven't broken a needle on them (knock wood). The do bend really easily and are not good for very thick fabric/joints. I think they're .4mm size.

CanoePam

I am another one of those dreadful people who has sewn over pins for 50 years. In that time, I have broken one pin with my needle. No damage to my nice Bernina machine. I admit I just can't keep my seams matched well without them! I prefer to use small pins because I find they distort the fabric less, but I use regular pins when I can't find my special stash of the little pins.

Pam
(edit for spelling)

Tartan

I remove them when I get to them.

sprice

Me, too, grammy Dwynn! All I have to do is picture a pin flying into my eye and I have no problem remembering to remove them.

Sewnoma

I don't sew over needles - I've broken needles by forgetting I had a straight-stitch foot on and switching to zigzag and a bit of broken needle HAS flown up and clicked against my eyeglasses. Thank goodness I'm blind without them, or I could be blind now! LOL

I just hold my seams if they're about a foot or shorter, that's usually enough. If I'm putting together longer pieces I use Clover clips and just take them off as they're about to hit the foot. They're easy to remove one-handed, just press down and slide to the side and they let go.

For anything that's really critical and absolutely must stay put all the way under the needle, Elmer's is my "grabber" of choice.

Barb in Louisiana

I do both ways. Sometimes I remove them and sometimes I ease over them. When I was working on Judy Niemeyer's Bali Wedding Star, some of those seam joins absolutely could not be done accurately without leaving the pin in. I actually had to press the seams open and then pin through the middle and before the join. My ripper and I got to be best friends on that project.

I have been sewing for over 50 years and for many years it was only clothing. We were not taught to take the pins out, but to put them in parallel and sew over them. I believe that was because in sewing clothing there are a lot of times when you are easing extra fabric in...think set in sleeves and bodices with the curved lines up through the breast area, rather than darts. If you remove the pins, you will never get those seams sewn properly.

Quilting is so much easier than clothes for me. Most times I only need the pins when I am doing curved sections. But when I do, I will sew over them in a heartbeat...going much slower than my normal medium speed. Years ago, I hit one with my big Brother going extra fast, and it did break my sewing needle and the pin. The pin hit me in the cheek. That really got my attention. Now I sew slow and steady if I have to leave the pins in.

As with everything else quilting, it almost comes down to a personal choice.

quiltin-nannie

Try using a touch of glue stick to hold those seams together! Works great on nesting seams!

Jeanne S

Yes, Tom, I believe we are only talking about straight pins. I don't think you should sew over any other kind of pin, like a safety pin. However, I also am in the camp that does NOT sew over pins---I either pin them in places that won't run under the presser foot or I stop and remove them before they get to the presser foot area.
If you need lots of 'support' to keep the two layers together, consider a swipe of a glue stick in the seam allowance area.