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Design Your Own Pin Heads – Tutorial

By · On August 16, 2011

How to make your own pin heads from shrink paper - a tutorial by SPWKnow someone that loves to sew? Chances are they would love to receive some personalised pin heads from you! If you have all the equipment, this is such an easy craft, and as anything is with shrink paper.. a lot of fun!

Equipment Permanent Ink Pens (I recommend ZIG millenium pens read more why here) Circle hole punch, or scissors Pins Sponge Shrink Paper Embossing Heat Gun or Oven & most likely a potato

1. Cut out circles… Cut out circles to make your pin heads. roughly 12 mm is a good size to start off with. The circle that my punch makes is 12mm wide (or .47inches). You can make this a bit bigger, but if you make the circles too big, they won’t be practical to use for sewing. If you don’t have a circle punch that small.. just eye it out.. if they aren’t a perfect circle, then you’re obviously going for a quirky look. 2. Draw you designs… Draw the design on to the pin head. I recommend using a ZIG millennium pen. You can also use pencilsIf you want detail in your pin heads, it’s important to make sure that you use a fine tipped permanent ink pen. I just drew these images free-hand (no template), as when the pin heads have shrunk all the little imperfections magically vanish! 3. Pierce your pin head… Piece your pin head with a sponge to act as an absorber.  4. Shrink pin head… You can either shrink the pin heads with an embossing heat gun as shown in the video, or your can shrink them in the oven. Just follow the instructions on your shrink plastic wrapping. So that the pin heads keep their shape, stick them into a potato or carrot before you put them in the oven so the heads aren’t touching anything, otherwise they will set askew. Make pin heads using different shapes like these hearts! These lovelies were made using a small heart punch and coloured with some pencils. It’s too easy not to do! Have fun!

Hi my name's Kimanh. I blog about stuff I like. Cooking. Eating. Making. Exploring. Taking photos. & Blogging. I'm married to a humanitarian worker and we live in Vanuatu - a tropical paradise in the South Pacific Ocean. Nice to meet you.

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34 Comments

  • amy says: August 16, 2011 at 6:57 AM
    that idea is genius and would work awesome for jewelry headpins. mind if i pass it along on my blog?
    Reply
    • Kimanh says: August 16, 2011 at 7:24 AM
      go for it!
      Reply
  • Kathy Gledsdale says: August 16, 2011 at 11:46 AM
    A great idea thank you for sharing it!
    Reply
  • deirdre says: August 16, 2011 at 3:00 PM
    I have to get some shrink paper. This is the second great project I've run across! Thanks for the idea.
    Reply
  • Onyxnox says: August 17, 2011 at 2:54 AM
    so cute. They would look great as pins for the centre of fabric flower boutonniere too. I may the idea for making earring studs too.
    Reply
  • Maureen says: August 17, 2011 at 9:59 PM
    HOW COOL!!
    Reply
  • carmen says: August 18, 2011 at 10:56 PM
    You can make your own shrink plastic. Use plastic marked for recycling with a 6 in a little triangle. Sand very lightly with very fine sandpaper on one side so it will take marker or colored pencil.
    Reply
  • magdamagda says: August 21, 2011 at 2:47 PM
    so lovely! small pieces of jewelry!
    Reply
  • handmade jewelry - How-To: Design Your Own Pin Heads | kids crafts ideas at - make-handmade.com says: August 21, 2011 at 6:16 PM
    [...] the seamster who has everything? Custom pins, of course! Kimanh at scissors.paper.wok. shows you how to use shrink plastic to create pins that match your favorite colors and designs. var addthis_config = [...]
    Reply
  • Molly Smith says: August 21, 2011 at 6:55 PM
    Oh these ARE cool. I am fabric-challenged (don't sew) but I use a ton of corsage size pins in my crafting. This looks like a (brilliant) idea that is easy enough that I could do. Love it! Thank you for sharing. Kimanh, do you mind me linking and featuring this on my blog this week? Thanks, -Molly
    Reply
    • Kimanh says: August 21, 2011 at 10:42 PM
      Hi Molly, so glad you like this tut! Please just refer to the footer of this site where you can find a link for the terms of reposting. Thanks! Kimanh
      Reply
  • Lynn says: August 21, 2011 at 7:31 PM
    Those are awesome! Thank you!
    Reply
  • Leah says: August 22, 2011 at 5:06 PM
    I love these - I'm a fan of shrink plastic, and I'm seeing a lot of jewelry uses for these. Thanks for sharing!
    Reply
  • ambjer says: August 23, 2011 at 1:51 AM
    i am in love with this idea!! i have a hard time with the smaller, thinner pins with the tiny flat heads on them (sorry, i'm a beginner sewer so i don't know what they're called haha), and i think doing this would make them easier for me to pick up, with the added benefit of being super cute!! thanks for the tutorial :)
    Reply
  • Karin says: August 23, 2011 at 8:36 PM
    Love this! What temp do you set your oven at? I'm going the oven route because I'm on a budget and I'm sure a potato is cheaper than the gun ;)
    Reply
    • Kimanh says: August 25, 2011 at 11:37 PM
      Hi Karin, just refer to the instructions for your heat gun. It'll make sense when you start shrinking them. The hotter the oven is, the quicker it will shrink. If the temp is too low it won't shrink at all.
      Reply
  • sara says: August 24, 2011 at 3:57 PM
    So cute!! Definitely on my list of things to do!
    Reply
  • Robin says: August 25, 2011 at 5:30 PM
    I absolutely love these pinheads! This is such a great project I am going to share it with my friends on Facebook or maybe just make a bunch with my kids.
    Reply
  • Make Custom Pin Heads |Candle Making Kits | Beeswax, Soy and Gel Candle Making Starter Kits says: August 26, 2011 at 3:01 AM
    [...] Even the most basic, everyday, taken-for-granted tools and supplies can benefit from a little dressing up.  Just ask Kimahn from Scissors, Paper, Wok, who gave some plain ol’ straight pins a glamorous makeover.  Her secret?  Shrink plastic!  (If you don’t have any commercially purchased shrink plastic on hand, look for #6 plastic, which is the same thing!)  These would be a terrific gift for your favorite seamster, and the technique would also labor well for dressing up jewelry head pins!  [how to create custom pin heads] [...]
    Reply
  • Dollar Store Crafts » Blog Archive » Make Custom Pin Heads says: August 26, 2011 at 6:31 PM
    [...] Even the most basic, everyday, taken-for-granted tools and supplies can benefit from a little dressing up.  Just ask Kimahn from Scissors, Paper, Wok, who gave some plain ol' straight pins a glamorous makeover.  Her secret?  Shrink plastic!  (If you don't have any commercially purchased shrink plastic on hand, look for #6 plastic, which is the same thing!)  These would be a great gift for your favorite seamster, and the technique would also work well for dressing up jewelry head pins!  [how to make custom pin heads] [...]
    Reply
  • Julie says: August 26, 2011 at 11:36 PM
    This idea will also be great to make spacer pins that are used in bobbin or pillow lace.
    Reply
  • Kate Richbourg says: September 2, 2011 at 2:41 PM
    What a great tutorial. I made some for my mom and she just loved them! I posted my variation on my blog. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
    Reply
  • Doing crafts! Long weekend! Couldn’t get any better then this! « Sandy's Sewin' says: September 4, 2011 at 4:07 AM
    [...] Doing crafts! Long weekend! Couldn’t get any better then this!http://scissorspaperwok.com/2011/08/16/pinheads/ [...]
    Reply
  • lote says: October 6, 2011 at 12:57 AM
    This is really awesome! do you have any idea of how "shrink paper" is called in spanish? what is it exactly? Really cute, nice idea!
    Reply
    • Kimanh says: October 9, 2011 at 6:30 PM
      Hi Lote, I think the translation would be pretty direct. I would also suggest searching online for the "Shrinkles" (UK) brand which I used, or "Shrinky Dinks" which is popular in America. All the best, Kimanh
      Reply
  • How to Make Clothing Buttons from Shrink Plastic… | scissors.paper.wok says: November 20, 2011 at 11:12 PM
    [...] Check out how to make your own pinheads using shrink plastic here!!! [...]
    Reply
  • Heidi says: November 22, 2011 at 3:54 PM
    Shrink plastic is also #6 recyclable. It's what many of the clamshell salad bar containers are made of. Just look for the number in the recycling symbol. If you use the shiny clamshell plastic, just rough up one side with sandpaper, and draw your design on the rough side. I think these pinheads are adorable!
    Reply
  • Pins and Needles… | Sadie Fox says: November 28, 2011 at 1:36 PM
    [...] of tiny surprises. Check out these DIY pin heads. You can find a great tutorial here. I am also teaching a holiday gift class at Fancy Tiger to teach other crafters how to make their [...]
    Reply
  • tane says: February 11, 2012 at 10:07 PM
    thank you for sharing. this is a fun project!
    Reply
  • devonlynne says: August 30, 2012 at 3:38 AM
    Loved this! I recently started sewing and wanted less generic pinheads so I made a bunch for myself, and for my mom, who has been sewing for years. I used #6 plastic, colored it with Sharpies, and put them in my oven because I don't have an embossing gun.
    Reply
  • Lapel Pins Fast says: November 6, 2012 at 8:22 PM
    We design lapel pins using prints and epoxy domes. Perhaps a similar method of making these pin heads is to cure epoxy on a printed decal?
    Reply
  • Candy Smith says: February 15, 2013 at 4:53 AM
    Oh! I love this idea. This is really awesome. They look so great. Thanks for sharing this DIY idea.
    Reply
  • Irene Dugan says: March 11, 2015 at 6:17 PM
    Can you tell me where you bought the 12mm circle paper punch or the name of the manufacturer? I love this idea! I would to try it.
    Reply
    • Kimanh says: June 1, 2015 at 7:09 AM
      Sorry Irene. I found it in the bargain pile at a craft shop in the UK about 9 years ago. No idea as the punch doesn't indicate any brand.
      Reply

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