15 Unique Uses for Hairpins

We have all seen it in the movies. The hero or heroine gets locked in handcuffs or closed inside a locked room and can't get out. Then he or she pulls out a hairpin and picks the lock. But can you actually do that?

You can, that is if it is the right kind of lock and you know what you are doing. In fact there are lots of creative ways to use hairpins that have absolutely nothing to do with the way they were designed to be used. Here are a few of my favorites:

I love to read but I almost never have a bookmark on hand when I have to stop mid book. Luckily, I usually do have a hairpin somewhere nearby. It makes a perfect bookmark in a pinch.

Every once in a while my husband requests a hairpin to hold his tie in place. Yes, he has tie clips and tie tacks, but sometimes he's not in the mood for jewelry. Using a hairpin, he can fasten his tie to his shirt without anyone knowing it is there. Best of all, he avoids the look of jewelry that he hates.

I never have a paperclip around my home office. I just don't think about buying them. However, with hairpins on hand, I really don't need them. They hold papers together just as well without all of the extra mess and fuss.

When Christmas rolls around, I am inevitably short an ornament hanger here and there. Rather than going out to purchase a whole new package for just a couple of ornaments, I use a hairpin instead. It can be bent and shaped to hold just about any ornament in place.

Reset those teeny tiny little electronic buttons on your machines with a hairpin. All you have to do is straight the pin and sometimes remove the outer rubber bulb to expose the hard wire. Hairpins are thin enough to fit into the smallest places.

Place sequins and beads into place on fabric with a hairpin. I love to bling out my favorite tees with beading and sequin designs of my own. To get those tiny items into place just straighten out the pin. Then dip one end into fabric glue. Use that to pick up the sequin or bead and move into place on the fabric. Then push it down securely with the other, non-sticky, end of the pin.

Use a hairpin to help define your hair part. As long as the rubber tip remains on one end of the pin, you won't scratch your scalp but you will get a perfectly straight part anywhere you want it.

Attach a flower to the pocket of your shirt. The hairpin will securely hold the flower in place for as long as you want it there.

Make your own jewelry. Attach rhinestones, sequins, beads, flowers, or other items to your hairpin with metal glue. Then glue multiple pins together to form a perpendicular collar necklace. Feed a chain through the top of the pins and secure it around your neck. Voila! You have your own unique necklace creation.

Hold your hem in place with hairpins while you sew. They will make sure the hem is even and secure until you are finished with your needle and thread.

Use an unbent hairpin as a screwdriver for tiny little screws like those found in jewelry items or on glasses. The width of the pin fits perfectly into such slots, removing the screw with a small twist of the wrist.

Secure that potato chip or pretzel bag closed to keep your food from getting stale. It may take more than a single pin to do the job, but there is no denying the results.

Make a ready-made fishing hook in just seconds. Fishing line ties well into one looped end of the pin while the other can be bent to make a free form hook of varying size and angles.

Need to poke a hole into plastic, fabric, or paper. A hairpin can do the trick without much difficulty at all. Heat the end of the pin for a quicker, cleaner hole that takes only seconds to achieve.

Label you seedlings by clipping a tag onto the pot with a hairpin. They can be easily removed when the time comes to finally put the plan into the ground.

Of course, don't forget to use hairpins for the purpose for which they were invented too. Make beautiful pin curls. Put hair up into a sophisticated French twist. Hold curls in place for a fanciful "do." Whatever the plan, hairpins just about always fit the bill.