How to Find a Good Pair of Scissors

Scissors are an important tool for all quilters, even those who use rotary wheels to do most of their cutting. The simple fact is that at some point or another, you will need to cut a pattern out of paper or cardstock and will have to trim loose threads or small snips of fabric from your projects. For these reasons, you really need two pairs of scissors.

As you begin your search for scissors, you may be puzzled to find some are stainless steel and others are titanium. What is the difference and which should you buy?

Fiskars is one noted brand of scissors you may already be familiar with. Taking a look at their scissor lines may give you a better idea of what to buy for your own quilting kit. Many of the sewing scissors are stainless steel. If you will do a lot of appliqué, a pair of small scissors with a curved tip may be helpful. The curve allows them to get closer to the edge of your design, allowing you to cut away only what you need to cut. They are stainless steel and won’t rust. They can also be sharpened as needed.

Titanium is touted as being three times stronger than stainless steel, but why does strength matter when you are talking about cutting through quilting cottons. These scissors are coated with titanium. Many of the titanium scissors feature a non-stick quality. That’s important if you are cutting through adhesive, but hardly any other time.

So, buy a titanium coated pair of scissors for your general and paper cutting, but go stainless for your pair of sewing scissors. Your sewing scissors should only be used for cutting fabrics and threads – nothing else. If it is tough to distinguish between the two, tie a small tag on them to denote the difference. The easiest way to distinguish the difference is to buy them with different colored handles.

No matter which pair of scissors you are using, brush the blades gently with an old makeup brush or a clean duster when finished. Your sewing machine may even have a small brush with it that you could use. Whisk away any lint or dust before storing to keep your scissors in great working order!

A good pair of scissors does not have to be expensive. You can pick up a pair of scissors suitable for paper cutting at a local dollar store. Spend a little more on a good pair of sewing scissors. Fifteen dollars should get you a fairly nice pair!