Safety Pins – Find the Right Type and Size
Safety pins are one of those craft notions that can be used for
almost any craft project. At first, they were used mostly in
sewing projects much like sewing pins or straight pins. They can be
used to hold fabric in place before being sewn without the danger
of being stuck by a needle. Now, some safety pins are designed to
be multipurpose, either for use in another craft or for other
purposes.
Types and Uses
There are many different types of safety pins. You can choose
between pins coiless or regular coiled pins. Pins with different
lengths and gauges of wire. Different types of metal or colors. Or
choose between curved and straight. We will have the right pin for
your project!
Quilters use curved
safety pins to tack down a pieced top, batting, and quilt
backing to hold everything in place before actually quilting the
layers together. Knitters and crocheters use coiless safety
pins as stitch markers. Add a pin between repeats of stitches,
mark an increase or decrease to keep track of your pattern, or pin
together pieces of a sweater before seaming it up. Create jewelry
with seed beads on the pins. We have safety
pins in fun colors just for jewelry projects. Safety pins for diapers are
also available and are the perfect way to add a cute touch to your
cloth diapers. They are even useful to keep around for the
non-crafty (gasp!) people out there. Keep some handy in case your
clothing needs to be repaired at an inopportune time, and this will
provide a quick fix until you can properly mend your clothing.
Sewists use them in a variety of sizes to tailor the fit of a
garment, tacking down an trim before sewing it, or holding pieces
of a pattern together so you can try it on without sticking
yourself. In fact, we also sell packs with multiple sizes of
safety pins, so you will always have the size you need
available.
Safety pins are typically metal, usually brass, steel, nickel, or
a combination thereof. The type of metal used determines whether
the pins will stick to a magnet -- a plus for making sure there are
none on the floor. Nickel plating helps prevent steel pins from
rusting.
Safety Pin Size Chart
Imperial safety pins are sized as follows:
- Size 00 or 2/0 = ¾ inch
- Size 0 = 7/8 inch
- Size 1 = 1-1/16 inch
- Size 2 = 1-1/2 inch
- Size 3 = 2 inches
- Size 4 = 3 inches
- Notice that the increase in length is not equivalent as
the size goes up.
- Size 4 safety pins are also known as blanket pins.
- In metric, typical sizes are 37 mm (~1-1/2 inches) and 46 mm
(~1.8 inches).
- Bulk safety pins are sold in quantities of 144 called "Gross".
If a box of safety pins has 10 Gross, that means that there are
1,440 pins in that box.
Common Manufacturers
Project Inspiration
- Add beads to them and attach to a cuff
- Use as embellishments on your DIY clothing
- Pin 4-5 beaded pins to a base pin for a fun brooch
- Attach to a ponytail holder for an unexpected adornment
Check out various craft projects using safety pins at our Think Crafts Blog.
Author
Billie G. Henson is the owner of Crafty Angel Designs
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