what happened to safety pins?

[Kali]

like all mundane products, safety pins are now complete pieces of shit. but where did the good ones go? I still have good clothespins even though most you can find now are just junk, clothes hangers- I have lots of older ones that are much heavier duty than the crap you get now.

but I can't find ANY old safety pins. did the entire planetary supply self destruct? were decent sturdy safety pins just a false memory? an illusion?

[radical noodle]

1. I was always able to find good ones at fabric stores like Joanns

but now that most of them have closed, I'm not sure where to suggest. Maybe Michaels?

[Kali]

6. I will have to check them out

or send my sister, she goes fairly often.

the weird thing though, is no old ones around. where did they go?

[radical noodle]

10. Probably still in Grandma's sewing box

wherever that is.

[multigraincracker]

2. My new thing are those black metal clips.

Little tiny ones and the big, almost an inch wide one. Have a life time supply now.
For a few year now I’ve been collecting match books. They don’t make them anymore. Advertising ones. Got a couple of gallon ziplock bags full of them. Looking on eBay, some are going for big bucks.

[Kali]

5. binder clips?

yeah I have a good stash of those
also inherited a big box of the family match books

[Twoflower]

3. They went away with the rubber bands.

[Kali]

4. I get my rubber bands from broccoli and asparagus

[Fla Dem]

17. You can still get rubber bands at stores like Target and walmart. Also Amazon.

I also save the ones from Asparagus.

[Tadpole Raisin]

7. I'd like the basic measuring spoons, not these clunky

bulky fancy pieces of sh**

Of course I’m also looking for (for years now) a nice basic manual WIND UP watch!!!

Can’t find one - they probably cost hundreds of dollars and I’m not looking in the right place.

[Kali]

8. oh yeah

not a fan of decorative measuring equipment that is bulky and sometimes breakable. I have a good stash of measuring spoons inherited from 3 households.

ebay for older watches might be the ticket. I found a 70s toaster still in the box. previous one lasted...well, from the 70s!

[Tadpole Raisin]

9. Yes! And the crme de la crme? REAL copper bottom

Pots and pans. My mom gave me a 1 quart pot almost 45 years ago. Still going strong.

I was always told if you see one at a yard sale, grab it!!

[Morbius]

14. Revere Ware!

I have two six quart saucepots and one 10" deep skillet I inherited from my mother. They're probably over 50 years old. Try finding a lid for one of them sometime!

I just looked; Amazon offers one of those 1 quart saucepans with a lid for a resale price of - get this - $68.00. I bet that doesn't include shipping.

[multigraincracker]

11. A couple of years ago at a yard sale they had a

box of watches for a buck a piece. Found a good one. 1958 14k gold wind up that worked. Got a new band and sold it quick for $400. The scrap value was $250. Even broken quality watches like Seikos are worth a bunch. If you look at most bid on items on eBay, it’s all wrist watches and old manual typewriters

[Tadpole Raisin]

12. I'll try that. There were a few things of my mom's I wanted...

The rolleiflex camera
The table Grundig radio
The ‘it will kill you if you drop it from a 1 foot height’ black Underwood manual typewriter.

Got the first 2 but the Underwood got stored in a moist location and was returning to the basic elements.

Funny thing when in college I was talking with her on the phone arguing that she hadn’t told me something in a letter. She said ‘just a minute’ and then started reading me the letter. How can you be reading the letter I asked.
She said ‘I keep carbon copies of all my correspondences.’

That shut me right up!

[lastlib]

13. I wish I still had my old manual typewriter from college.....

Typed my senior thesis on it (400 pages, three drafts--almost 1200 pages) and still have joint issues in my fingers from it.
Typewriter had to go in a move. That thing was like an old Army buddy that saw me through the war.

[GenThePerservering]

15. I have a perfectly good safety pin holding up my pants

and tons in a box from running races (we pin the numbers on).

You can get them from just about any well stocked store. Large ones...small ones...

[Kali]

16. all the new ones bend like they are made of soft lead or aluminum

and wouldn't pierce any heavier fabric than a worn tee shirt.

[Marthe48]

18. I have a jarful

at least one.
When I went to sales, I'd often end up with a box of odds and ends of sewing notions. I got this jarful years ago, and dip into it now and then.

About 20 years ago, there was a popular craft. People put seed beads on safety pins and dangled them from a larger pins, made flag designs, maybe others. I bet there are many pins in those crafts laying in jewelry boxes.

I agree that nothing is made like it used to be. It's a real challenge to get multiuse out of anything, even if it's meant to be multiuse.