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Member since 4/18/17
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Posted on: 5/5/17 2:20 PM ET
I have just watched a video online of a complete shirt making and the guy never used a pin in any of the various sewing parts. Just put the pieces under the presser foot with needle down then lined up as he sewed, looked great. Is this a method to try and copy or is it still better to pin as I do now.
By the way a big thank you to Kayl for suggesting Guide to Fashion Sewing from my first post about patterns as I have received my copy and it is a great book, which I know I will refer to a lot.
  
Member since 1/27/15
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Posted on: 5/5/17 2:25 PM ET
It depends on the fabric. Some fabrics have enough "grab" that pins aren't needed. Other times, you need a few pins at critical points. Sometimes you have to pin every couple inches - or baste first. People in garment factories rarely use pins, but of course they're sewing the same thing day in, day out, so they know the ropes.
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Member since 3/24/04
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Posted on: 5/5/17 2:29 PM ET
In reply to BillParsons
It's pretty rare for me to pin something before stitching. I might do it when I line up a plaid for matching, just to get the seam ends accurately aligned, but I'll usually pull the pins before stitching, because I can do a much better job of keeping the alignment by manipulating how I'm holding the fabric. And you don't get those little tucks you often get by sewing over pins.

Did I mention this video, of Margaret Islander? It's a pretty good introduction to nearly pinless sewing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zyTaEfo-J0
  
Member since 1/18/05
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Posted on: 5/5/17 2:31 PM ET
In reply to BillParsons
I agree with the previous post that it does depend upon the fabric.

When I sew shirting material, I need very few pins since the seams will stay in place with some guidance while feeding the fabric.

Yet, some fabrics just won't behave! I also use Clover clips for some fabrics when I don't want a lot of pin holes.

I don't use any one type of fastener exclusively.
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My Herd: Bernina 790 Plus Upgrade, Bernina 735, Babylock Triumph, Bernina Record 931. Sewing Makes My Crazy Life Normal.

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Member since 6/4/15
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Posted on: 5/5/17 3:27 PM ET
There is a Craftsy class showing the Margaret Islander method, and she uses virtually no pins at all on the woven in the garment (denim jacket). I believe the class is called "Sew Better, Sew Faster". I picked up a lot of tricks that have helped me to move along more quickly in my projects. I still use pins for some things, and I will hand baste finicky areas, but after this class, my goal is to use as few pins as possible.
  
Member since 3/29/14
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Posted on: 5/5/17 3:28 PM ET
Depends for me as well, but I no longer pin binding on anything that needs binding. I just cut it a little longer than needed, and let it attach as needed.

I think it is Janet Pray with Islander sewing that shows techniques to keep fabrics lined up without pins. you just hold the spots wit "notches" with your hands to make sure they match up instead of pinning. I definitely use fewer pins nowadays than I used to.
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Member since 10/30/10
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Posted on: 5/5/17 3:37 PM ET
Um, on anything the least bit slide-y, I pin then hand baste.
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It's just fabric; we can out-think it.
  
Member since 6/28/06
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Posted on: 5/5/17 4:16 PM ET
It also depends on the shapes you are putting together.
If you're doing, for example, the center front of pajama pants, the two pieces are exactly the same shape, so there's nothing to wrestle. I might use a pin at each end and one in the curviest part.
On the other hand, I recently made a skirt from a slippery lycra knit, where the waistband was a plain rectangle and the skirt was two circles (one becoming the front of the skirt, one the back) each with a very tight radius. (Picture two donut-shaped pieces. I cut a straight line from the outside of the circle to the inside hole on each piece, then opened out both pieces. One piece became the front, the other became the back. So I needed to sew the tightly curved top of the skirt piece to the absolutely straight waistband. In that case, I used a pin every inch or even less, and sewed quite slowly, trying to make sure the skirt curve came up to the edge of the waistband between each pair of pins, instead of slipping down the way its curve wanted it to.
So, experience will tell you when to pin and when not to. In the meantime, if you've got similar shapes and non-slippery fabric, see if you can minimize pinning to practice your technique, but go for pins whenever the fabric or the shape would make pinless sewing tricky.
  
Member since 3/24/04
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Posted on: 5/5/17 4:31 PM ET
In reply to Stargirl7
Stargirl, may I make a suggestion? If the seam allowance you're using is more than about 1 cm/3/8", clip the seam allowance of the curved skirt top. Make sure you've got notches at least every quarter of the skirt waist circumference -- for a first go on slippery fabrics and the average adult waist size, I'd probably make matching notches about every 6".

Then put the skirt side against the feed dogs, waistband on top. Drop the needle into the beginning of the aligned seam, then drop the presser foot. Now stitch, matching the seam allowance edges as you stitch. You will be straightening the seam allowance on the skirt, and stopping and readjusting every inch or so, most likely, but you will find that if your cutting was accurate, the skirt and waistband will sew together accurately without pinning.

It does take practice and confidence, but if you keep practicing, it gets so much easier, even on hard to control fabrics like silk charmeuse or chiffon. And you'll never have to risk a pin snag in your fabric.
  
Member since 3/24/04
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Posted on: 5/5/17 4:33 PM ET
In reply to Melcalifornia
I think it is Janet Pray with Islander sewing that shows techniques to keep fabrics lined up without pins. you just hold the spots wit "notches" with your hands to make sure they match up instead of pinning. I definitely use fewer pins nowadays than I used to.

Yup, Janet Pray is Margaret Islander's niece, and bought the company when Margaret retired.
  
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