BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Quilting using soap to keep straight pins needles sharp

My grandmother taught me how to sew and do quilting. She taught me a lot of sewing crafts.
She told me that if I had straight pins that would not go through the fabric to stick them in to a bar of soap. Can anyone tell me if this really works?

Hi Alf I've never done it but I presume that the soap would coat the pins a little maybe simular to giving them a fine coat of wax or grease. So then they may slide easily into the fabric. This is only a guess though and i'd be carefull on delicate fabrics incase it marks them, although I guess its washable. Sonya

I have heard that and also to run pins through your hair. Anybody ever heard that one? I also have never tried it and wonder about it. I guess the natural oils in your hair would coat the metal as well.

I am going to try the soap but first I will have to go buy one I don't have any bar soap . I only use the liquid soap. I will let you know how it goes.

Bar soap is used in make a lot of things move together more smoothly:

- on the sliders for dresser drawers or kitchen drawers (whether they're wood or metal)

- on the threads of screws to be easier to tighten

just to name two, so I would imagine it would also make a needle slice right through fabric.

Don't some people run their needles through wax when they are hand quitting? Wonder if the substances have something in common.

GrannyH

I've used both soap and hair to help pins and needles in the past. Yep, it works. But, if they are very dull only emery will help I think.