So, you’ve heard your sewing friends talking about them, seen people on social media raving about them but you’re still not sure if they are for you. Here’s a quick guide of pro’s and con’s that will hopefully help you make up your mind! A quick disclosure from the outset, I’m a big clip fan! I’ve been using them for a while now and just love sharing how awesome they are with everyone else.

Sewing Clips, known originally under the brand name Wonder Clips, are plastic clips that measure 2.7cm x 1cm. The clips have a flat base and rounded top. They are used to hold layers of fabric in place for sewing or quilting. The clips offer a firm grasp, are safe to use and do not prick or pierce like pins do.

The flat backs mean they are easy to use as you feed your fabric under the foot of your sewing machine, they don’t need to be removed as you sew along.

Here’s a quick list of benefits:

• They give you an extra hand, when folding layers of fabric along an edge (like a hem) they will hold it in place for you so you can carry on working along down the fold.
• They can hold multiple layers of fabric, unlike with pins that you cannot use with more than a couple of layers because the fabric would ripple or bend the pin.
• They wont mark your fabrics – this is especially helpful when working with fabrics like vinyl, laminates, silks and satins.
• They are safe to use with children! Whether you are teaching a child to sew and want to avoid them pricking their fingers or sewing in the same room as children and want to avoid the worry of dropping a sharp pin on the floor and not being able to find it. They are the answer! (This is my favourite thing about the clips, sewing with a two year old around can be hard enough as it is!)

And the negatives:

• I’ve found that they can occasionally slip if knocked when you’re feeding them through the sewing machine. This can be frustrating if you’ve just spent half an hour clipping your binding on a quilt or matching pattern pieces together.
• The branded Wonder Clips can be expensive. If you’re still not 100% sold on their benefits but would like to try them out, their price tag can be off putting. However, I have decided to offer an unbranded more affordable version of the clips as well, so that my customers can choose for themselves what suits them better.

I hope you find this useful! If there are anything I’ve missed that you think other people would benefit from knowing, please drop me an email at littletshaberdashery@gmail.com!

If you have decided you’d like to purchase some clips, here’s the link to where you’ll find them in the store.

Happy Sewing!