Pinning with Pinmoors

There are a variety of products you can use to baste a quilt - my preference is Pinmoors.

Quick disclaimer - I am a satisfied customer, I have no financial stake in Pinmoor, though I have met the creator at a Quilt Show and she is quite nice.

I am not a fan of safety pins - I don't like fastening them and I don't like unfastening them. I know that there is a nifty tool - the Kwik Klip that people rave about; however, given the frequency with which I misplace tools, I would spend more time looking for it than using it to fasten and unfasten the pins. I'm not the most coordinated person out here and I don't want to spend all my time manipulating the pins.

I am also not a fan of adhesives - especially spray adhesives - I don't handle perfumes well, so something like the 505 spray is not an option for me. I'm also not sure I'm coordinated enough to try using Elmer's glue. Thus I prefer using my stash of straight pins.

Using the Pinmoor is a two step process for me - stick the pin through the fabric and lift the end slightly.

Stick the Pinmoor in place and make sure it is on securely.

Be careful not to stab yourself (and keep band aids handy).


I do not stop to add the Pinmoor with every pin - instead I'll put in a dozen or more pins and go back to add the Pinmoors. There is a risk of missing one (note recommendation on keeping band aids nearby), but it goes faster for me if I'm not stopping to add the Pinmoor each time.

Using the table method described in the previous post, once the center of the quilt is pinned, then it is time to unclamp the quilt sandwich and move it over.  The weight of the pinned portion of the quilt hanging off one side is sufficient to provide a taut surface.

I flipped the unpinned portion of the sandwich over while clamping the backing (using my new handy-dandy picnic tablecloth clamps) and then smoothed the batting and the quilt top towards me - gently again to avoid stretching.  Once that side is finished, repeat the process for the other side.

Overall, I'm much happier using this table than the previous set-ups. However, I did notice while pinning seemingly endlessly that the table is still about 6 to 8 inches lower than idea.  It is currently sitting on a set of bed risers.  However, that is not steady enough to trust to an additional set of bed risers.  I had planned to use the trick of sliding the legs into PVC pipe - but that works on tables with a bend in the legs - which this one does not have, so I'm trying to figure out what to try next. Perhaps boxes of fabric?

Another important caution/safety note.  While I generally keep my shoes on around the house (plantar fasciitis worries), when I'm sewing I'm frequently barefoot as I find I have better control over the foot pedal.  I stepped on my first pin recently.  It was not a loose one. It was in the border of the quilt that had reached the floor. Just something else to be aware of...

My usual MO is to skimp on pins. I don't think I've done that on this quilt - judging by the Pinmoors left in the bowl, I am closing in on 300 pins... this is slightly larger than a lap quilt, but not a bed quilt.

The Breeze is now ready to be quilted.  I've played with a few ideas in my head.  The batting is Warm and Natural which gives me more flexibility in terms of the density of the quilting. I'm leaning towards ruler work, outlining the blocks, but not stitch in the ditch.  It would be nice to turn this in at our April Guild meeting.

Removing the pins while quilting is straightforward and I keep two bowls nearby while quilting - one gets the pin dropped in it (if I don't have the magnetic pin keeper nearby) and the other gets the Pinmoor. Periodically, with the cheap yellow-topped pins, the yellow ball pops off and the pin stays in the Pinmoor. I slide the pin shaft out and drop it into the bowl of Pinmoors so that later I can deal with wiggling the pin shaft out and discarding that in my sharps jar (an old spice jar with a hole pounded in the lid). Eventually I'll upgrade all my pins to a higher quality.