A Sewing Machine & Me

When I asked my friend to show me how to use a sewing machine, she so gracefully agreed and then let me borrow it while she is off on vacation. My first attempt? A bandanna table runner I found on Country Living's website.Wal*Mart had these funky floral bandannas so I figured it looked vintage, even better!

I have a question for all you sewers out there,
Where should you place the pins?
I thought I got them far enough away from the machine, but close enough to still do the job, but this is what happened.The finished product? It's not my pride and joy, but it is my first sewn product!