Tool Spotlight: Scissors!

Scissors are a must have for a crafter. They are the leader of the team, the Leonardo to all the other turtles. You cannot go low end on good scissors.

You should have at least two pair of crafting scissors: fabric only and general craft (aka paper). The cardinal sin in crafting is using your fabric scissors on paper. I know, the temptation is often great. Those days happen, you can't find the general scissors but you know those fabric scissors are sitting right at the top of your sewing basket. DON'T GIVE IN! Don't do it!!

Ok, I hear you asking. Why? Paper dulls scissors. Dull scissors make nasty, ragged cuts in thick fabric and pulls, runs, and holes in fine ones. Sure, you can probably get through your cotton calicoes just fine with just about any old scissors without much trouble even if the cut edges look like you chewed on them. Have you ever tried to cut silk with dull scissors? How about a nice thick brocade? If you haven't just trust me that it's awful and I don't wish the experience on anyone.

BTW, the NO PAPER rule also applies to your pinks and your thread nippers. You do have pinks and thread nippers, right?

Ok, I have a pair of these. These are Singer Shear Perfection sewing scissors. They are pretty nice, keep a decent edge, and are not terribly expensive. The only issue I have had is that the tips on my pair do not close completely. I think this is my fault (don't ask), though, so I'm not considering this an issue of the manufacturing. Other options you can find in fabric shears include offset ones like these that make cutting large patterns on top of a table easier and there are left handed shears for the lefties out there (though most seamstresses I know always use right handed tools because they are easier to find and offer more options than the left-centric tools. Kind of like left handed guitarists).

My general crafting scissors are these. Besides having the alluring brand name "Acme United", the blades of these scissors are titanium. They stay incredibly sharp (I have a scar if you want to see), are affordable, and any sticky tape/glue/whatever residue that gets on them wipes off easily. Whatever you do, wipe them carefully. Scar, remember?

Now, pinks. Pinking shears (or "pinks") are fabric scissors that cut the edge into a nice little zigzag pattern. Why? Because, when cutting a woven fabric, the edges are prone to fray. The zigzag pattern does not eliminate this issue but it does cut down on it. Pinks should never be used on paper despite the fun zigzaggy pattern. There are cheaper scrapbook scissors you should be using for that. I don't actually own a pair of pinking shears. I used to, but they have been lost to the ether. The pair I had were ancient and dull (because someone used them on paper!) Should you want/need a pair, I've heard Fiskars makes a decent set. Should you want to buy me a pair, I am partial to anything made by Singer.

Thread nippers are little tiny scissors used to clean up loose threads on hemlines, darts, etc. Honestly, I don't know what brand my nips are. I've had them forever and there's no name on them. Any mid range nippers should be fine. You do not want dull nippers as they will catch and pull on threads right at the finishing stage. I have heard that surgical thread scissors are also perfect for this but they are more expensive.

The only thing left are the fun scissors. You can get scrapbooking scissors with a crazy variety of edges. These things can run high, so I suggest looking for sales, checking at places like Big Lots and Essex, and going online. You don't NEED these but they can add a fun option to your paper crafts. One note in case if you were wondering: scrapbook scissors will not be sharp enough to cut edges into fabric. Avoid the heartache, don't arrange an entire craft around this idea.

If you want to upgrade any of these tools, check out Gingher. Gingher makes the classic knife edge sewing shears you remember in your grandmother's sewing box as well as an awesome rotary cutter. Gingher scissors will run roughly $40 a pair. The Gingher company will sharpen and repair any any of their own products for a small shipping fee. Basically, Gingher scissors rocks, you should buy them if you have the money!

Now go, scissor-enlightened one, and procure scissors!