Talking about favourite scissors. The best from my collection.
I am prompted to write this blog after reading a Facebook comment regarding scissors"Trying to wrap xmas presents... oh the irony.. the only scissors I can find are an inch long from last years xmas crackers"
The collection of scissors that I use most are shown below. I have a real affection for each pair and each has its on specific use. The basic rule is to keep one pair for paper, one for fabric, one for thread and one for everything else. Plus keep a pair handy in the kitchen for food. Scissors blunt fast if used on paper then fabric.
I have so many pairs of scissors that I am almost embarrassed to confess to how many, for some women its shoes, for me its scissors. I cannot resist to purchase just in case they turn out to be better to use than other favourites. Its true to say that my most precious pair (see image below Ist left with purple identification spots) is the pair that I have used most, workhorse fashion over the last 11 years and surprisingly was not the most expensive. I think I purchased them in Lidls for less than £5.00. They have never been sharpened and still cut a beautiful clean line. Over the years they have cut paper thousands and thousands of times. I have purchased many similar looking pairs over the years, for some reason none have met my expectation, the feel, the clean cut. Just not the same.
2nd and 3rd left. Gingher scissors. Over 20 years ago I did hexagon patchwork workshops in Vero Beach in Florida. Margaret Whiteman, the organiser presented me with these afterwards. At the time I did not appreciate how special they were and it was not until the arrival of the internet that I learned each pair is tuned by hand. see www.gingher.com. The smaller pair cuts many many layers with ease and have a real luxury feel.
4th and 5th left were both purchased from the pound shop and both brilliant to use. The pair with the longer blade found on the do-it-yourself shelf designed to cut wall paper. I find them perfect for cutting long straight lengths of card or paper and in my view better than a guillotine or craft knife for single layers.
6th pair left, instantly recognisable as traditional Friskars dressmaking scissors for cutting fabric only, hence the nail varnish warning on the handle. Woe betide anyone who uses them for anything else.
7th pair left. These scissors are heavy and not comfortable. I picked them up in a car boot sale and can be used for a multitude of tasks. Great all round scissors.
Finally, image below another pair of scissors I own that are very old and completely blunt with short blades. In bygone years they were probably a luxury treasured tool and I feel honoured to be their current custodian. They are delicate and most uncomfortable to work with.
2 comments:
I have a pair of Fiskars sewing scissors that my granny gave me for Christmas when I was about 11. I have no idea how much they were really worth, but I somehow assumed they were really expensive (probably because they seemed so "grown up" to me at the time) and kept them in good condition for years and years. I don't actually sew much, but I still use them for various kinds of crafts. There's also a pair that look like solid silver (although I'm not sure they can be - wouldn't they be a bit soft and fragile?) that came with the old sewing machine-in-a-table that used to belong to A's granny. They are probably more impressive and retro, in absolute terms, but I'm very attached to my little orange scissors!
yes, its true Boogiebabe, first pair of proper scissors is a significant milestone from being a child to becoming a young adult. Its good that you kept them as each time you use them, memories must flood back from your younger years.
I do think scissors are taken for granted. We would be lost without them, so many tasks depend on them.
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