How to Use SewTites Magnum Magnetic Pins to Load a Quilt on a Longarm: Tips for Quilters
Loading a quilt onto a longarm frame should not leave you with sore fingertips. SewTites Magnum are magnetic sewing pins designed for professional longarm quilters — the longest SewTites model, made for loading quilts onto longarm machines quickly, easily, and painlessly. Instead of pushing straight pins through leaders and layers, you secure fabric with strong magnets, then remove them just as easily when the quilt comes off the frame.
What SewTites Magnum Are
Each SewTites Magnum measures 3.98 inches by 0.59 inches (101 x 15 mm), a long, low-profile shape that spreads its hold over more fabric than a short pin. On the back are five stronger earth magnets, which is where the holding power comes from. That combination — length plus multiple magnets — is what makes Magnums suited to the tension and weight involved in longarm loading, where a backing needs to stay smooth and square on the rollers.
SewTites Magnum are sold in a 5-pack or a 20-pack in a keepsake tin. A smaller pack can be enough to try the system or to supplement pins you already own, while the larger pack suits quilters who load quilts regularly and want enough magnets to secure a full width without repositioning as they go.
Why Quilters and Sewists Use Them
The main reason is speed without pinpricks. Traditional pinning is slow, and a large quilt means a lot of pins. Magnums snap into place and lift off again, so loading and unloading go faster and your hands do less repetitive work. They are also useful beyond the longarm frame. The product notes say they work great for keeping beads in when sewing weighted blankets, as well as for some bagmaking applications — anywhere you need a firm, temporary hold on layers that are awkward to pin.
How to Use Them, Step by Step
- Prepare your quilt layers as usual. Square your backing, check that your leaders are clean and straight, and have your batting and quilt top within reach of the frame.
- Position the fabric on the leader or roller. Smooth the edge into place with your hands first, keeping it aligned and free of tucks, just as you would before pinning.
- Place a Magnum on top of the fabric. Set the pin down over the fabric where you would normally insert a straight pin, so the magnets on the back grip through the layers.
- Space them along the edge. Work your way across the width, adding Magnums at regular intervals so the hold is even and the fabric cannot shift or sag between magnets.
- Check alignment before you roll. Sight down the edge, smooth out any ripples, and reposition individual Magnums by lifting and resetting them — no need to unpin and start over.
- Remove them in reverse order when unloading. Lift each Magnum clear of the fabric and return it straight to the tin so none are left loose on the frame or floor.
Practical Tips
Slide magnets apart rather than prying them straight off each other if they stack together; strong earth magnets prefer to snap back. Keep your spacing consistent — even spacing is what keeps tension even across a wide backing. If you are new to the system, load a smaller practice piece first to get a feel for how firmly five magnets hold. And keep Magnums away from computerized machine components and other magnet-sensitive items when you are not using them, storing them in their tin instead of loose in a drawer.
Care and Storage
Care is simple: wipe the pins clean of lint and thread dust after use, especially after working with batting, and store them in the keepsake tin they came in. The tin keeps the set together, protects the magnets, and makes it easy to count that you have the full pack before the next quilt goes on the frame. Keep small magnets out of reach of children, as with any magnetic notion.
Project Ideas
Use Magnums for their main job — loading customer quilts or your own large quilts on a longarm frame. Try them when sewing a weighted blanket to help keep the beads contained while you stitch sections closed. Reach for them in bagmaking when thick or layered pieces need to stay put without pin holes. Any project where layers are heavy, wide, or hard to pin is a good candidate.
Shop the SewTites Magnum at Linda's Electric Quilters.
