Keep your fabric shears separate from all other scissors and ask everyone in your household to respect them. They need to be as sharp as possible to cut clean lines.

Scissors

Craft / Office Scissors – Cheap scissors (8-9” / 20cm) to use when cutting paper and other things besides fabric.

Pinking Shears – Scissors with saw-toothed blades used for finishing seams and cutting a decorative edge. They leave a zigzag pattern on the cut edge that does not fray as easily as a straight cut.

Fabric Shears – Good quality, sharp scissors (8-9”) to use when cutting fabric.

Applique Scissors – Designed to prevent you from cutting through fabric when working with appliques.

Embroidery Scissors – Used to snip threads and other embroidery work. (Approx. 3 1/2”)

Small Scissors – Use for snipping threads and precise cutting in tight areas.

Nippers – Small novelty scissors for snipping threads.

Rotary Cutting

Rotary Cutter - A tool used to cut fabric that has a handle and circular blade that rotates as you roll it.

Rotary Cutting Mat - A special mat is required to use the cutter or it will damage anything under the fabric. The rotary cutting mat is self-healing and will hold up to heavy usage.

Seam Ripper

This is one of the most important tools in your sewing arsenal. Take the time to become proficient in removing seams without harming your garment. We all make mistakes, but thankfully most are repairable with good techniques.

Seam Ripper – A tool used to cut the threads in a sewn seam and remove stitching. Although there are several types, it typically has a blunt tip with a sharpened curve for cutting.