Do Lapel Pins Leave Holes on Clothing?

You can wear pins without leaving holes in your clothes. However, some fabrics and pin backings are more likely to show traces of them.

Do lapel pins leave holes on clothing? Some pins may leave visible holes when worn with certain fabrics. There are also pins, such as those with magnetic backings, which leave no none at all. Ultimately, any pin that pierces material to be secured can cause at least superficial holes.

Anyone who has wanted to wear their favorite pin while attending a fashionable event understands the frustration of knowing you have to ditch the pin because it would ruin your expensive blouse or suit. We will show you some ways to have your cake and eat it too when it comes to wearing pins without leaving any trace on your clothing.

Pin Backings That Can Leave Holes

Every pin backing except magnetic ones can leave some form of opening in the material of your clothing. The size and permanence of it will depend on a combination of which backing and fabric are being used. Post Backings usually leave the largest visible gap because they tend to be thicker than safety-pin backings.

We will go over the specific advantages of various fabrics and backings in the sections below. It is essential to understand that most clothes are made of different blends and fiber percentages, meaning some shirts may have more give than others even if they have the same types of textiles listed on their tags.

Fabrics That May Show Holes

Post backed pins when worn on tightly woven, high thread count fabrics, are more likely to show holes while the same pin would not leave a noticeable trace on a looser weave such as jean material or some cotton. The worst articles of clothing for showing pin punctures include the following.

• Blazers
• Thin blouses
• Satin and velvet shirts or jackets
• Hats
• Dresses made of thin or expensive materials
• Button-up shirts

Choosing the Right Backing

Now you know which articles of clothing and fabrics not to use when wearing safety-pin or post pins if you are trying to avoid leaving holes. However, there are multiple backing styles, and they all have different impacts on the likelihood of your clothes being altered by wearing them. We provide a short description of which works the best.

Magnetic Backings

These are the absolute best backings for anyone worried about leaving a mark on their clothing. They are strong, secure, and capable of holding through several thin layers of fabric though they do not work as well for layered coats or thick hats. The great news is that you can always convert your pin backings to the more clothes friendly magnetic strip.

Post Pin with Clutch

There are various backing styles that use a post and clutch to keep the pin secure. These do not always but generally involve short and thick posts. Hatpins are the exception, and those will have longer, thinner posts. Whichever one you have will most likely leave a hole in delicate garments, but you can always convert them to magnetic Backings to save your wardrobe.

Safety-Pin

These are thinner, but they anchor the link by moving through the fabric twice, leaving twice the gaps. If the pin gets caught on something or is treated roughly, then it can also stretch and distort the material around where the metal slips through. These can be converted to magnetic backings using a brooch to magnet converter, which can be found through online retailers such as Amazon.‍

Is It Possible to Fix Pin Holes?

There are a number of ways to fix the punctures, but not every fabric can be salvaged. The easiest ones to repair are polyester, cotton, jeans, and blends. Jean is the easiest to fix and usually only requires rubbing over the area a couple of times to get the weave to reposition, hiding the space that had been left behind by the pin.

The other materials require a clothes iron, fusible bonding web, and a cutaway stabilizer, which can be used to hear and bond together fibers around the hole until it disappears. There are a large number of text tutorials and video walkthroughs that can guide you through the process. Although this will not work in every situation (e.g., uniforms that have stretched puncture holes due to a lot of movement), it will usually either significantly decrease the visible tear in the fabric or erase it entirely.‍

How to Order Custom Pins That Will Not Leave Holes in Clothing

If you know that your pins are going to be used in a way that might cause visible perforations (e.g., high-end fabric, fragile fabric, professional uniforms, etc.), then you may want to think about ordering something with a magnetic backing. This will give you the full security of a good backing without the possibility of maiming your wardrobe. You can find out more about these types of pins by reading our page on pin backings.‍

Converting a Post Pin into a Magnetic Pin

While it is best to simply order your pins with magnetic backs from the start, if you have a favorite post pin, you can alter it with a few items. For less than $8, you can purchase a set of 10 magnetic pin backings from Amazon, which you can use to turn your post pin into a magnetic one. This will allow you to wear your pins without having to worry about damaging your clothing.

To convert your pin, you will need wire cutters, a jewelry file or high-grade sandpaper, magnetic backings, and superglue. Then you simply follow these steps.

1. Use the wire cutters to remove the pin post as close to the surface as possible.
2. Use the file or sandpaper to remove the residual stump until the back is completely smooth.
3. Use super glue to attach the magnetic backing.

That is it! The whole process is quick and easy. Now you can turn any pin into a fashion accessory capable of being worn with even the most expensive outfits.