Product review: Quilter’s Pins by EZ Quilting

I needed to make another 4 foot by 8 foot, portable design wall so I could block my big, secret quilt. In the past, I have simply pinned batting to a large piece of insulation foam from our local big box store. This time I decided I would use polar fleece that I got 60% off from Joann’s — black on one side and white on the other. I also needed some more long, ball-head pins. I didn’t spend a lot of time considering my choices. I simply grabbed a couple of packages of these Quilter’s Pins by EZ Quilting. They were long and the price was right.

Normally I don’t like being overly negative, but after using these one time, I would definitely NOT recommend buying these. Here’s why.

1. First off, most packages are “clam shell” design that can be reused. Not these. The packages are fused closed so I had to cut through the plastic just to get to the pins. That meant the first thing I had to do was to find a new container to put them in.
2. The pins have yellow or white heads. I don’t particularly like yellow, but I decided it would be okay to use them to hold my fleece to the design wall. As I sorted them, I found quite a few pins where the head had already fallen off.
3. Next, I needed to block my quilt. I do that by pinning it directly to my design wall, making sure all the edges are straight. Then I spray the quilt down with water and let it dry overnight. By the morning, the quilt is usually laying perfectly flat. Well, as I pushed the pins straight into the styrofoam, I repeatedly bent pins. That’s pretty annoying since that is about the least stress I would ever be putting on these pins. They certainly won’t hold up to pin basting quilt layers together.
4. Last, I had a couple more heads pop off when I removed the quilt the next morning. That left the sharp metal shaft in the styrofoam for me to have to fish out with my fingers.
5. I didn’t pay close enough attention when I purchased them, but the heads on these pins are plastic. Definitely a no-no if I was the type of person who pressed my work with pins in place. When my wits are about me, I normally would only chose glass-head pins.

So, basically, these pins are useless to me. I guess I could still use them for my design wall, but I would expect more pin heads to pop off, leaving sharp points exposed. I don’t think it’s worth it. I’ll probably end up tossing these in the trash and getting some better quality pins. So, learn from my mistake and steer clear of these pins.