I love a good pair of sharp embroidery scissors and although I love all the different styles and decorative effects they have now, I am going to talk about my squad of scissors and why I chose them to be at the ready whenever I stitch.
I have five pairs of scissors handy whenever I stitch, although the fifth pair is kind of a standby of sorts. I have two pairs of Havel's scissors, one is notched and the other has a curved tip. These are the two most important pairs because they both are less prone to accidentally cut stitches that shouldn't be cut. Stitchers know that it takes one little misplaced snip to cause a catastrophe on a project. These are not expensive scissors and easily replaced if they get lost or become dull.
Next up is a pair of serrated embroidery scissors. Why serrated? Because they are ideal for cutting metallic threads, like the DMC Diamant, Kreinik metallics, and Glissen Gloss Rainbow Filament. This is what they are made for and saves the rest of the squad from getting dull quickly. I'm not sure who made the pair I use, the only mark is it was made in Italy. They are very well made because I have used them for years without any problems and still cut like new.
The next is a small pair of Fiskars that are perfect for cutting out small items such as for applique, snipping those stray bits of material that come loose, and any other miscellaneous jobs that I don't want to use for my mainstay embroidery scissors. Small, sharp and a handy size, in other words perfect all purpose work horse.
Lastly is a pair of Clauss, Titanium, non-stick scissors. These are really great scissors, well-made and very sharp, and I specifically got them for snipping through sticky labels and such. However, I rarely have to cut through sticky labels or glued things, so I just keep them around just in case. I do use them for other things too, but I think they were more of a want than a need purchase. I would probably get more use out of them if I was a paper crafter.
In addition to all these I have a nice pair of travel scissors. These were probably the most expensive of my squad I guess because they are compliant with commercial travel requirements as well as just being good for travel in general. Since these were so pricey though and I don't like to fly, they don't get much use at all, which is good I guess since I would be very upset if I lost them because of the replacement cost.
Large or Small Squad
Do I have scissors in addition to what I have mentioned? Of course I do but very few are decorative. I've got a large and small stork as well as a rooster scissor. The rest are just good utility scissors that can be used for hand stitching, some I don't even have a clue as to their origins, they just appeared in my studio. Maybe they're from the same dimension my needles disappear to! LOL! Although I think it would be cool to have scissors decorated for each holiday or a cute theme, quite honestly I just don't have the room and I would never use them except to maybe take Instagram photos. Besides, I would rather spend my hard earned money on fibers or fabric. Those I would get some use from.
Tweezer Picking
I couldn't let tweezers get left out of this discussion because they are an important tool that is sort of, kind of, in this category. This is strictly a subjective tool because I know so many stitchers that use so many different tweezers and they all work for them. My go to tweezers are a pair that I get in the cosmetic section of just about any store and are a scissor type tweezer. They are easy to hold and grip great, I mean they have to if you are going to pluck your eyebrows with them, right? LOL! I have a pair dedicated for needlework and one for eyebrows and do not interchange them.
Needle News-More to Come-
I received a recent order of DMC #28 Tapestry Needles and being anxious to try them out, soon discovered they wouldn't fit through my Swarovski crystal 2.5mm beads. I tried a package and a half out of 5 and figured that was enough to determine none of them would work. So although these needles are still going to come in handy for a lot of other projects, I am going to look into some #28 John James Tapestry Needles to see if they will work instead. I want to note that the DMC #28 Tapestry Needles work great with the Miyuki 11/0 Delica Beads as will the #26.
I am also going to test the Sullivan's Easy Guide Ball-Tip Needle. I've been curious about whether these are easier to use so it will be interesting to see how they perform. News on this next time.
The Wrap
In the end these are scissors that I have found to work the best for what I make. Like any good artisan, quality tools help put out quality work, so they hold a place of great importance. I recommend having these, or similar, cutting tools for your needlework, out of harms way of children of course, but someplace handy too where you can grab all of them at once. It saves time, which we never have enough of, and headaches, which we don't ever have time for.
Till Next Time-
"I have a profound interest in embroidery, as I have female ancestors on both sides who embroidered their way through great trials." Emil Ferris, American Writer, Carrtoonist, and Designer
Keep Creating!
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