A Brief History of Clothespins: The clothespin was invented in 1887 by Solomon P. Moore in Vermont. Though there were many patents of the American Made clothespins following, his simple lever proved to be the best design.

However, as time has passed (and particularly in the last 20 years)  the American made clothespin has gone from being a lever made with hardwood and a strong steady spring to becoming a pin made of any number of soft woods and flimsy pins. The American made clothespin has almost become extinct due to the influx of cheaply made clothespins that are imported from China.

The two reasons we picked the Clothespin?…First, We moved to a home with a wonderful clothesline and all I had readily available was the imported pin. I quickly became frustrated with these small, flimsy things. Sure you can get 50 for $5 but they are always breaking and it takes about 10 of them, jammed on the line, to just hold up my small wet rug.

Why are they so flimsy?

Ugh! I didn’t want to spend our money on something that made better fire tender than clothespin. Imported clothespins are cheap in price but also cheap in quality. Anyone who hangs clothes with them knows it. The wood is soft and weak. The springs are wimpy. They don’t hold the clothes on the line dependably and break easily which can be very frustrating and discouraging for the person who loves to dry their items in the sun. Plastic ones are hardly any better.

Secondly, The Carpenter’s longs to do what he was passionate about…wood. He LOVES woodworking. We wanted to start a home-based business with a product that was practical and relatively simple to manufacture. We came across the idea of clothespins and fell in love with the idea of creating American made,  heavy-duty clothespins that could be handed down through the generations. When we decided to start making our own clothespins I was thrilled! Not only would I be able to line dry my clothes without later finding them in the grass, but It seemed to be a great product to spring board a business with.

The Carpenter LOVES wood and LOVES to make beautiful, quality items. He is a hard- working man and always puts in his hundred+ percent, but if he has been working with wood all day that day ends with a look of joy and satisfaction instead of a look of exhaustion.

Our business Lady and the Carpenter LLC has been going strong since we officially registered with the State of Washington in June 2015. The first clothes pin was shipped out a year earlier to a gentleman in Port Townsend (an hour away from us). As of this writing we have shipped to all Fifty States repeatedly and to many countries around the globe.

Will it pass the test of time?

After five years of field testing by your neighbor’s and friends we know beyond a shadow of doubt that our clothespin holds up to everyday laundry, camping trips, violin makers, basket weavers, guitar manufacturers, tropical storms, tornadoes, and a myriad of other activities.

The reviews are available on Amazon, Etsy, Lehmans, Best Drying Rack, Molly’s Suds, Taproot Magazine and many individual bloggers. We are available by phone, email, texting or most Saturday’s at the Sequim Farmers Market and the occasional Mother Earth News Fair.

Please share your stories of our clothespins, always love the photos and videos. Thank you for helping to bring the title American Made back to an American invention, the humble clothespin. I know Solomon would be proud.