By SewMagical
I am usually careful, when I work on my projects, about where I place my straight pins. Either I place them away from my line of stitching, or I remove them as I come to them, before the presser foot and needle go over them.
Stitching over a pin can cause damage to your machine. It can break your needle, and the broken pieces may fly off and hit you in the face, perhaps even in the eyes.
I know all this, yet sometimes I forget, or I just miss removing a pin. That happened to me the other day, and the picture below shows what happened. Yes, the machine needle broke as well.
Protect your machine and yourself. Don’t sew over pins!!
This bad when it happens with a serger too. It messes up the cutting blade as well as everything else and it’s really hard to get it loose.
I agree – I was taught to put my pins in line with my needle – I pull them out as I go. Was taught never to put them perpendicular to the needle so that it wouldn’t hurt anything if you sewed over them. You just proved it to me again why it doesn’t matter how you pin things, just don’t sew over the pins! And my mother taught me years and years ago to pin this way. If it was good enough for her – well – it was easier to do it her way then try to tell her what the “home ec” teacher said (over 50 years ago!)
I have only run over a needle once–thank goodness it didn’t go flying or break or anything but scared me enough that I’m VERY careful now!
I know this from experience! As long as we’re discussing safety – it’s not good to sew over fingers either – ouch this hurt. On a PBS show – Sewing with Nancy – a guest was using the eraser end of a pencil to hold &/or guide her fabric under the needle. At last something that really works well and keeps our precious fingers away from that needle!
Good advice on the pins. Another time to beware of flying or broken needles is during free motion quilting. If you pull the fabric too quickly you can break a needle. I recommend safety goggles for a new free motion quilter.
Almost all sewers are probably guilty of this. I know I am. I try not to, but I work with fleece alot and sometimes I miss some of them. I always keep it in mind though.
I have 10 sewing machines…upholstery, embroidery, sergers, and regular machines and my machine repirman said sewing over pins is the fastest way to throw a sewing machine out of timing. Usually about a $100 repair!