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Brass Dress Pins

A few words on pins. Some of you may have heard the phrase "having your pin money" at some point. The meaning of this phrase is to have a little extra money left over to do something special or treat yourself. Modern women might think of this in terms of having extra funds for cosmetics or shoes. The origins of this phrase are in fact in the Tudor period, or possibly earlier. At this point in history you had to have "pin money" to dress well. Pins were used to hold up placards on gowns, sleeves, veils, and arrange jewelry. At later dates they were also used to arrange skirts and ruffs.

Extant Brass Pins from the Victoria and Albert Museum
Today's reenactors have been lacking in quality brass pins for their dressing needs for some time. Often we resorting to steel straight pins for sewing. The problem with these is that they are not sturdy enough to stay in the fabric without bending. For anyone willing to pay $2 a pin plush shipping there is a good solution on the market finally. Irene Davis of The Treasury is not making pins made the same way they were in period, including drawing down the wire for added strength. Strong and sharp, I used these pins for the entire two weeks I was at Pennsic (and SCA event) without bending a single pin, harming anyone including myself, and no damage done to my clothing. I truly can not say enough good things about the brass dressing pins from The Treasury.

Brass Dressing Pins by The Treasury
Large image of Queen Jane Seymour with visible pin heads
Pins in the V&A
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