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Shannon Fraser Designs

Spreading quilty joy one stitch at a time!

#1 Pin Basting Tool Every Quilter Needs to Know About

June 25, 2020 by Shannon Leave a Comment

Pink Lemonade quilt getting pin basted | #1 tool that revolutionized my basting | Shannon Fraser Designs #pinbasting

Do you love basting your quilts?

I’ll be honest and say it’s been one of my least favourite steps in the quilt making journey.

My first thread basting experience left me with bruised knees and sore fingers after 3 days of crawling around on my hands and knees. All I could think was – “never doing THAT again”!

*This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission. 

Irish Vortex quilt featuring Blueberry park fabrics about to be pin basted | #1 pin basting tool | Shannon Fraser Designs #quiltbasting

Pictured above is the baby Irish Vortex quilt – pattern available in the shop.

Up until that one and only hand basting experience, pin basting was my go-to. But I find the process arduous and inevitably I always end up stabbing myself with the safety pins L Talk about making a process even less enjoyable!

Enter the *Kwik Klip.  

Never heard of it?

You’re in for a treat because this nifty tool has been a pin basting game changer!

Tilda Lazy Days fabric with a Kwik Klip, curved safety pins and two spools of Aurifil Thread in 40wt | #1 tool that revolutionized my pin basting | Shannon Fraser Designs #quiltbasting

As someone who suffers from tendinitis and hand pain (check out my Top 5 Stretches if you experience any pain too), I was on the hunt for anything that would help ease the pain. And this wonderful little tool does just that!

Not only has it taken most of the pain away, it’s also increased my speed. Part of this is probably experience, but I also credit the Kwik Klip for helping me get my pins in and snapped shut in record time.

You see, the Kwik Klip has these grooves which help stabilize the safety pin and gives you a lever to help close the pin too. All while preventing slipping, broken nails, finger indentations and the dreaded pin pricks (that I always seemed to get). The Kwik Klip makes pin basting safer, less painful and more efficient – win-win in my quilty book!

It hasn’t made me love pin basting but, coupled with some fun podcasts (here are some of my fave), I’ve found myself actually enjoying the basting process. Never thought that would even be possible!

Modern Aztec table runner about to be pin basted using curved safety pins and a Kwik Klip | #1 tool that revolutionized my pin basting | Shannon Fraser Designs #quiltedtablerunner

Pictured above is the Modern Aztec table runner – pattern available in the shop.

WHY I LOVE THE KWIK KLIP

Here’s a quick summary of why I love this little tool:

  1. Quicker basting time – this is a huge one! I used to spend well over an hour basting my quilts and now I can get a generous throw quilt done in about 30 minutes.
  2. Reduced pain – by the end of my basting sessions, I used to have really sore hands from digging the pins in and then closing them all up. My pain has been seriously reduced since I started using the *Kwik Klip.
  3. Less pin pricks – I have bled way more times than I care to remember while pin basting my quilts. I’m happy to report, this is a thing of the past 😉

Basting is one of Pips fave quilty activities! He loves inspecting every layer of the quilt sandwich. Here he is on the Christmas Irish Vortex quilt “testing” her out for quality assurance!

Pips (white Ragdoll) hanging out on the Home for the Holidays Irish Vortex quilt about to be basted | #1 Tool that revolutionized my pin basting | Shannon Fraser Designs #modernquilt

Pictured above is the Home for the Holidays Irish Vortex Quilt – pattern available in the shop. 

SEE IT IN ACTION

I filmed a series of Instagram videos back in 2019 (I think) which shows you the Kwik Klip in action. Watch it here. 

You know I’m not about buying every notion and tool out there, but this one was well worth the investment and I highly recommend adding it to your arsenal of quilty tools!

Kwik Klip in original packaging | #1 basting tool every quilter should know about | Shannon Fraser Designs #quiltingnotions

But hurry! Paula Jean Creations is closing their business at the end of July 2020, so if you want one – *snag one here soon! 

If you need help setting up your quilting tool kit, here’s a list of my Top 10 Quilting Tools to Get Started Quilting.  

Have you tried the Kwik Klip? I’d love to know how it changed your pin basting game! 

Happy basting!

xo

Shannon

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Hi! I'm Shannon. A modern quilt pattern designer based in Montreal. My quilting journey started by stumbling upon a half square triangle tutorial and I've been hooked since. I'm now spreading that quilty joy to you! Read More…

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