When was the last time you gave your scissors a little TLC? If you can’t remember, it’s time to sharpen up your scissor maintenance game! Fabric choice, hoop quality, and embroidery floss are all crucial parts of your embroidery journey. But have you put much thought into your scissors? Keeping your scissors in good working condition is a crucial part of embroidery that is an easy step to overlook.
But before we get too far let me point out one of the most important things you need to note about scissors. Your box-cutting scissors are not your embroidery scissors. Your fabric scissors are not your embroidery scissors (and vice versa). And your kitchen shears definitely don’t belong anywhere near your craft supplies.
Inside your scissor arsenal you should have two pairs of scissors:
1. Fabric scissors. These can be heavy duty, all-metal speciality scissors or these can be a simple pair from Fiskars or Singer. The most important thing is you want them to be 8.5” (from handle to tip). Once you have identified your scissors, go ahead and use a sharpie and label these FABRIC. You will not use these scissors for anything else. Not a quick snip of a paper, or a cut of tape. These are to be used for FABRIC ONLY. This pair is my favorite.
- Embroidery scissors. This pair of scissors—you guessed it—is only used for embroidery floss. They are a much smaller pair of scissors (normally around 3.5” long) and are used to get into those tight spaces behind your hoop. I personally love the DMC brand the most and sell two varieties of their scissors in our shop here.
So now that we know the correct scissors to use for the correct project, we need to know what to do when those scissors eventually become dull and how to maintain them.
Problems Caused by Dull Scissors
Don’t just work through the struggles of dull scissors because by doing so they can wreak havoc on your embroidery projects, causing:
- Frayed Fabric: Instead of a clean, precise cut, dull scissors tug at the fabric fibers, leading to fraying or unraveling.
- Frayed Floss: Have you tried to thread a needle with frayed floss? If you haven't had to, trust me . . . you don’t want to. Sharp scissors help keep those floss cuts nice and clean!
- Damage to the Fabric: That frayed fabric we talked about above doesn’t just affect the fabric “outside” your hoop—damaged fabric can also lead to weaker fabric inside the stitching boundary which can cause issues when tightening your fabric (or worst—when you are all done, can cause an unraveled thread that leads all the way into your design)
- Increased Effort: Let me pause here and tell you a quick story. Not too long ago I grabbed my can opener that I had since college (which was over 10 years ago mind you!) and attempted to open a can. It finally hit me that “wow, I wonder if it really should be this hard to open?” The next day I bought a new can opener. And can I tell you what? It went from what felt like arm wrestling a power lifter to a quick and easy twist. So all that to say, while you may not realize it at first—cutting with dull scissors demands more force, which will eventually lead to hand fatigue and possibly some frustration during longer crafting sessions.
How to Sharpen Your Scissors
If you’ve been reading this post and started to think “Yeah . . . you know what, I think my scissors are dull!” Here are a few tips for sharpening your scissors at home:
- Try Aluminum Foil: For a quick DIY fix, fold a piece of aluminum foil several times and make several cuts through it. This method can help restore a bit of sharpness but I will note that it isn’t a substitute for proper sharpening.
- Sandpaper: Similar to the foil method, cutting through fine-grit sandpaper can help sharpen the blades slightly better than aluminum foil. But be sure to clean the blades afterward to remove any grit.
- Use a Scissor Sharpener: Now, if you are really dedicated to your scissors (I understand—I have specific pairs that I always reach for when I’m crafting), using a handheld sharpeners designed specifically for scissors is a quick and easy way to maintain sharp blades. Run the blades through the sharpener a few times, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
So there you have it! The ins and outs of scissors and scissor maintenance. I hope this helps you in your embroidery journey! And if you are ready to upgrade some of your embroidery scissors be sure to take a look at my favorite pair from DMC, the classic gold available on the Abide Embroidery website.
