Prairie Pin Pouch Handmade Clothespin Bag – Made for Heavy Use
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The Prairie Pin Pouch is a modern rendition of a classic clothespin bag. I found these handmade laundry helpers in a somewhat unusual fashion. Some friends were visiting from out of town one afternoon when the phone rang. On the line was Julie Pruett, creator of the Prairie Pin Pouch.
As it turns out, Julie read a review I wrote several years ago on Amazon.com about a clothespin bag that didn’t stand up well to our high winds. The flimsy thing kept blowing off the clothesline, which dumped my pins 12 feet below. (Our clothesline is on our raised deck.) It was very frustrating.
Julie saved that review, contacted me about her handmade clothespin bags, and sent me a sample.
Prairie Pin Pouch Handmade Clothespin Bag Basics
These clothespin bags are made of durable duck cloth to help them stand up to years of wear. They measure 13 by 11 inches, so they have plenty of room for clothespins. If you compare my old bag side by side with the Prairie Pin Pouch (old bag is on the right), you can see how much larger the new bag is.
Stay Open Top
The Prairie Pin Pouch is also hard wired to stay open for easy pin access. If you look at where the hanger connects to the bag, you’ll see the Prairie Pin Pouch has closed wire loops, as opposed to the original pin bag which has the hooks stuck through grommets.
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Deep Grip Hanger
When you examine the hanger itself, you can see how much more substantial the Prairie Pin Pouch hanger is compared to the other bag. It grips the clothesline with over an inch of metal, so it’s much tougher to blow this clothespin bag off.
Thank You Gifts
Julie packs each bag with a little something extra – a bar of Fels-Naptha soap for laundry stain removal (or making your own homemade laundry soap) and 15 clothespins to help get your started. These are the peg styled pins, which work better on a narrow/wire laundry line. I have a thicker cloth line, but I thought it was still a nice touch. If you have the right line for them, they don’t have any springs to get unsprung in high winds. (I killed many clothespins over the years via sprung springs, until I found Kevin’s Quality Clothespins.)
The only thing I might suggest would be to tweak the design a little to place the hook towards the back like the Original Champion Bag from 1950s. I remember my mom having one of those bags, and it wore like iron. That laundry bag lasted through six kids and roughly half a century. I suspect the Prairie Pin Pouches will hold up as well. Julie has seven different fabric options shown on the site, so you can brighten up your laundry line while you hang up your clothes.
I got my Prairie Pin Pouch in 2013. Four years later and it’s still holding up well.
You may also find useful:
- Do It Yourself Laundry and Household Cleaners
- Natural Stove Cleaners
- Portable Clothes Washer Review and Comparison – What Works
Originally posted in 2013, updated in 2017.
I would like to order a couple of prairie pin pouches but can’t figure out how to do it.
You can visit her Etsy store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrairiePassions
What I would like to know is where to find the hangers for these. I just made one (more like your original design) and I need the wire hanger to fit in the grommets. Any suggestions would be welcome! (And I promise — I’m not going to compete with you; I’m just making two, one for myself and one for my niece.)
I just discovered this darling clothespin bag. Kuddos to Ms. Pruett! I don’t have the ability to hang out laundry but I can think of several uses for several of these in my sewing room. They could easily hold current projects or smaller cuts of fabric I can’t bear to throw out! I love it when an old products find new uses and updated looks. I love the bird fabric. Again, way to go Julie. Thanks for making these avaiilable.
I would really love to win the lovely Prairie Pin Pouch. Hanging wash is good exercise & you get fresh air. I save energy dollars, am kind to the earth & my clothes have the fresh air smell from flying in the breeze. I hang wash outside weather permitting. In winter & when it is raining I hang wash in my basement laundry room, as I have four retractable lines. My mother hung her wash outside all year round, as there were no clothes dryers. God Bless You!
I love hanging wash. I hang out almost everything. In the winter I hang alot of clothes in the basement, as I have four pull-out lines in the laundry room. I would love to win the Prairie Pin Pouch Handmade Clothespin Bag, as the one I am currently using is torn. I just love to watch the clothes blowing in the breeze and they smell so fresh. Not many of my neighbors hand out wash, but there are a couple, bless their hearts.
Hermine, the giveaway ended a while ago, but Julie still has the bags available for sale at her online shop.
There is something soothing about watching the clothes swaying in the wind, isn’t there?
We just moved out to the country and I would like to build a clothesline. Do you have plans building a clothesline?
We rigged ours up on our deck posts, but this article looks like it has good instructions: http://diydiva.net/2012/07/diy-weekend-project-how-to-build-a-kickass-clothesline/
My husband works on power lines, and he brought home some old power poles and cross arms. He cut the poles to about 10 foot, buried about 3 1/2 feet into the ground, and then anchored them (just like a power line is anchored). He then used the cross arms on top, and we have wire lines. It has lasted for about 12 years so far, with no signs of coming down and sagging. 🙂 My Daddy used 2 inch pipe to build Mama’s many, many years ago.
As sewing is not my forte this would have been a great contest to win. On another note, living on a hill it is always windy and the clothes pins snap right off the line! Grrr. Where do I find quality pins that won’t give way, break apart and leave my sheets in the corn field! I’ve looked everywhere.
I’ve looked everywhere, too. The most promising ones I saw were in Australia. For now, I just extra pins, and avoid hanging above a certain velocity.
An overnight soak in Oxyclean gets out most stains and whitens and brightens.
The sun is a great disinfectant for your clothes – one good reason to use a clothesline!
I have an umbrella style clothesline I have on the lot line that I share with my neighbor. I have a clothespin bag that used to be my grandmothers and has been in use for 70 plus years. I would love to win one to share with my neighbor with whom I share my clothesline! What a wonderful contest!
peroxide is a great stain remover.