Estimated readingtime: 7 minutes
Table of contentInhoudsopgave
When you buy glass headed pins, how do you choose whch ones to get? Let’s dig a little deeper in the types of pins and their uses…
There are a lot of different pins. We mostly sell glass headed pins. These are usually by Prym and 0,6mm thick and 30mm long. They are the standard glass headed pins or short pins. There are other pins available which are longer or thinner, or both!
The glass headed pin
When visiting stores likeG Action, Zeeman or Kruidvat to buy glass headed pins, you will mostly find the standard of 0,6x30mm. Do check if they are glass headed. Are they plastic and you put the iron on them, you will get a nice dotted fabric in the colours of the pinheads. Unfurtunately these can not be removed. So check to see if they are glass headed… When you order pins in our shop all of them are heat resistant.
We sell pins by Prym but also by Clover and Taylor Seville.
Superfine silkpins by Clover
These brands sell great quality pins. Clovers are 0,5mm and 0,4mm thick. Thinner than the Prym pins of 0,6mm thick. Clover pins are also outfitted with glass heads. Superfine silk pins for silk and other tender fabrics, size: 0,4x36mm. So that is a lot thinner than the average Prym pins of 0,6mm and a little longer with 36mm opposed to 30mm. The pinheads are transparent in yellow and blue.
Thin glass headed pins by Clover
Are the 0,4 a little too thin for your liking? Try the 0,5mm x 36mm Clover pins. They are a little sturdier because they are a little thicker but not as thick as standrad. The pinheads are also yellow and blue but they are not transparent but opaque. Easy enough to tell apart. Use these glass headed pins for thin to medium fabrics.For heavier fabrics the standard 0,6 pins are better
Long thin pins or large pins
Long thin pins are also by Clover, these are 0,5mm x 48mm. You can use long pins if you want to pin multiple layers of fabric. A longer pin makes pinning easier. The Clover long and thinpins gave orange and green transparent heads.
Prym also has long pins. Those have yellow opaque heads and 0,6 x 45mm. Are usually called quilting pins.
Pins with a flat head
Sometimes the glass headed pins heads are too thick, that is why headless pins are sold. They are not exactly headless but have a very small head. The pin and the head is made from the same material, nickeled steel. That means the head is not so easy to spot like with the glass headed pins. (Glass headed pins are sold in boxes with multiple colours pinheads.n.)
Besides headless pins there are also pins that have a paper head called flower head pins. We do not sell these but they can be ordered for you. These flower head pins are mostly used when quilting.
Special pins by Taylor Seville
We do have flat headed pins by Taylor Seville. They are not as flat as the flower head pins, the heads are elongated. These magic pins have plastic heads that are 1cm long and have ridges for good grip. And the plastic heads are heat resistant! You can iron over them without issues.
Magic pins are available in different thicknesses and lengths. We chose to include silk pins and extra long pins in our assortment. The silk pins have orange heads and the extra long pins are pink. Both are sold in a handy storage box…
Would you like to order a different type of pins than those we already sell? Please contact us, we will gladly order them for you.
Glass headed pins in black or white
White glass headed pins are by Prym, they are thicker than the standard (0,8mm) and are used for fur or imitation fur. With these voluminous fabrics the seams are big and stiff. That is why the thicker pins work better.
The black glass headed pins are just like the standard pins only the heads are black instead of assorted colours.
Choose the right pins
There are a few criteria you can you to choose the right pins for the job:
- Thickness of the fabric: the thinner the fabric, the thinner the pins
- For silk and delicate fabrics you would preferably use good quality pins from a real brand. The tips of the brand pins are better finished what helps to protect your delicate fabric
- Quality: you always need good quality pins for your sewing. It is logical to look at the price when buying them and at first you do not see the difference between the pins by Action or by Prym. But you do féél the difference! A cheap pin will snag on the fabric more quickly and it will be more difficult to get it into your fabric. The tips of cheap pins are usually blunt and that is not handy
- Testing: are you a long time seamstress like us? Likely you will have different pins in your workshop. So try them before you pin! If the pin does not go in easily, try a thinner one. If it is difficult to get the tip to the surface, your pin is too long or too short
Read more about sewing things on the page: Sewing tools or check out our shop at www.beautyvof.nl