Weighing In with Olfa Weights – Are they better than pins?
Written: Dec 25 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: convenient, easy to use, faster than pinning
Cons: four weights are not enough
The Bottom Line: The Bottom Line is neatly anchored in place using these Olfa Weights.
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Olfa (OW-1) 4-pack Pattern Cutting Weights - 8991 |
I have seen and used many sewing notions during my 20-plus years of sewing and quilting. Some of them stay and become good sewing companions. Other items give way to gravity and find the bottom of my sewing chest never to see the light of day again. My collection of Olfa Weights see a lot of use and plenty of daylight.
Description
These Olfa weights come packaged with four weights in a clear blistercard. Each bright yellow weight resembles a donut: round with a hole in the center and measure 2 3/4" in diameter.
Each of the circular weights has three built-in pointy plastic feet on the bottom. These pointy feet form a triangle shape if a line were drawn between them. The newer weights have plastic points while the older Olfa weights have small, narrow, sharp metal pins embedded on the bottom. The points on both weights measure just shy of a 1/4" long. I own both the new and old type of weights. I’m not sure when the design change occurred, but the plastic points are definitely safer.
The weights are designed to stack atop each other. If you own the Olfa Organizer, four of these weights comfortably stack and fit on one side of the Olfa Organizer. (The other side of the Olfa Organizer is for the “mini weights”, but these larger weights will fit on that side, too.)
Rocking these weights in my hand, I can hear something moving inside that sounds like a weighted pellet. The older style of this weight sounds as though a metal disk is inside to lend it weight. If I had to compare the two styles of weights, I would say the newer weights are heavier.
My Experiences
Whether using the older style of these Olfa Weights or the newer style, they are great helpers in the sewing room. I primarily use the weights to anchor tissue pattern pieces on fabric while cutting. I also use the weights to hold long pieces of fabric in place so that the material doesn’t slide off the side of my cutting board. The weights have also come in handy to anchor the three layers of a quilt while I baste the layers together (quilt top, batting and backing).
But are these Olfa Weights better than pins? Yes and No. The weights will never replace the many varieties of pins in my life. While the weights are excellent anchors, they could never hold two piece of fabric together while I run the fabric through the sewing machine. Pins are necessary to hold fabric layers together while sewing seams. Yet it is easier for me to use the Olfa Weights to hold patterns in place on fabric while cutting out pattern pieces. I find there is less shifting of fabric with the Olfa Weights.
Using the weights is also faster than hand pinning a pattern piece to fabric. Simply lay out the fabric, arrange the pattern pieces, and strategically place the weights to hold the layers together. The pointy plastic feet bite into the layers to keep everything stationary and do not harm the tissue paper pattern.
Four weights are not enough for practical use. I own twelve of these size weights. Twelve weights are a good number for anchoring sewing patterns in place, holding fabric, and even for weighing down the layers of a small quilt. Granted, if I were to lay out a sewing pattern that had ten separate pattern pieces, then I would need more than twelve weights. But for the sewing projects I do, twelve weights work well for me. (I also have the “mini weights” that came with the Olfa Organizer.)
But how do the new style weights with their plastic points compare to the older style weights with their metal points? Both weight styles work equally well. However, I have to be careful how I handle the old-style weights with the metal pins ... although I hear acupuncture can be a good treatment – but not in the middle of a sewing project. The newer weights with the plastic points on the bottom are definitely safer to hold and use.
Purchasing
I purchased my Olfa Weights from Joann Fabrics for about $9.00 a 4-pack. These weights are also available at many fabric and quilt shops.
Summary
These Olfa Weights are always within reach in my sewing area. They aren’t just for anchoring pattern pieces and fabric either. In a pinch I have used the weights to hold open the pages of a sewing book and to position portions of other craft projects in place while working on them. Sometimes these weights act as a third or fourth hand. And everyone needs a few extra hands at one time or another!
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Additional Information
Olfa North America
33 South 6th Street
Terre Haute, IN47807
Toll-free Phone: 800-962-OLFA
Please read my other reviews:
Olfa 4-pack Mini Weights with Organizer
Olfa 45mm Rotary Cutter
Olfa 28mm Rotary Cutter
Olfa Rotary Cutter Replacement Wheels – all sizes
Fiskars Pinking Shears and tutorial
Quilter’s Dream Sewing Table
Horn of America Sewing Chair
Janome Jem Sewing Machine
Bernina Accessory Box
Quilt Pro Software
Keepsake Quilting Online Store
Joann .com Fabric & Craft Store
Copyright 2004 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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