Pinning fabric: better seams

Why is pinning fabric before sewing such a big deal? Does it make that much difference? I can sew way faster if I don’t pin.

Yes, I know pinning is a boring process! Beyond boring at times! Talk to your sister or friend on the phone while you pin! But it’s a really important step to creating good seams!

If you can make yourself read the rest of this blog I will tell you…and myself… why it’s important, yes, even HOW to pin, and why it’s efficient!

Pinning fabric is easier

Listen, would you rather spend time pinning or spend time ripping?

I would rather spend time pinning!

First of all, start any sewing project with sharp pins!

I have limped along to many times with pins that are dull, bent and too few. Come on, pins aren’t that expensive! Buy more!

Let me give you some awesome reasons why pinning is important to sewing that beautiful dress you want to wear tomorrow. (why do we do this? Sewing at the last minute?)

I have given you one reason already…pinning saves from having to rip seams. There are times I have not wanted to take the time to pin and when I got to the end of the seam it didn’t line up and I had to rip and start over. It takes quite a while to rip a side seam, and just because I didn’t pin properly!

Pinning also gives the edge of the fabric more stability as you sew and then we don’t need to keep such a tight grip on the fabric as we feed it though the machine.

When pins are in place you can focus more on making a good even seam and concentrate on keeping the seam allowance even.

How to pin

O come on, I know how to pin already!

Yes I know, but I just learned a pinning tip not long ago and I have been sewing for like 20 years!

First, line up the fabric edges perfectly with the right sides of the fabric together.

And the first technique is to jab pin into the fabric and out.

Like this!

The second is to jab that pin in and out twice.

Like this! 😊

And the funny thing is that this second technique makes a big difference but in my head takes at least twice as long to do. I don’t know why!

The first technique works great for stable woven fabrics…or any type of fabric if you’re in a tearing hurry and don’t want to spend those extra seconds pinning through twice. 😄

The second one really does work a lot better for less stable fabrics like lightweight woven fabrics and stretch knit fabrics. And it is worth the effort of pinning this way because it really does cut down on the frustration.

I like to pin from the edge of the fabric…

Like this. And others like to pin along the edge…

Like this.

The reason I like to pin from the edge instead of along the edge is that I can sew right up to the pin and then pull it out just before I run over it. Well, sometimes I do run over it and break my needle or bend the pin very out of shape. Don’t sew over pins if you want to save machine needles and sewing pins. 😁

Pinning along the edge works well too, it just doesn’t allow you to sew as close to the pin. Keeping the pin in as long as you can just gives more control and keeps the fabric in place longer.

There is no “right” way to pin. Do what works and makes sense to you. 😊

Pinning is efficient

Ok, pinning saves time, right? Because we will do less ripping if we pin our seams. So, that makes it more efficient! 😁

Now, I hope you have lots of pins because the next efficient thing about pinning is that you pin as many seams as you can before sewing anything. So pin the seams that don’t intersect with other seams like the shoulder seams, darts, collar if it has a collar, skirts to bodice etc.

Pinning is also efficient because you can pin while listening to that long story your 5 year old is telling you. Or while you’re waiting for the water to boil or the Instant pot to pressure down. Two birds with one stone!

Pinning is important for because it’s easier than ripping, you have more stability and concentration for getting a good straight seam and efficient because you can do several seams at once.

Thanks for reading! 😉

Do you think pinning fabric is important? Tell me why or why not in the comments below!