Will you love a professional finishing to your sewing projects?Then it is very important to have the right cutting tools for sewing
This blog post will walk you through the essential cutting tools for sewing and their uses.
There are a lot of sewing accessories you need for your sewing projects. Cutting tools however is a must have.
BEST CUTTING TOOLS FOR SEWING AND THEIR USES
In my mother’s days,having just one fabric scissors was enough. You know those grandmother scissors that has bias wrapped around the handle.
Just to make it comfortable to handle. This was because it was used for every sewing projects !
Today,it is not so.
There are a lot of cutting tools for sewing that will give your project a professional look.
Let’s now look at
THE 9 BEST CUTTING TOOLS FOR YOUR SEWING
- Dressmakers Fabric shears.
- Paper scissors .
- Thread snippers.
- Embroidery/Needle work scissors.
- Serrated scissors
- Rotary cutters.
- Pinking shears..
- Seam ripper
- Pattern tracing wheel
Even though I mentioned all these cutting tools for sewing,I actually did not buy all in one shopping.
You can start with the five most important cutting tools for sewing your project.
The five most important cutting tools for sewing for me are
- Dressmakers Fabric shears.
- Paper scissors
- Rotary cutters.
- Pinking shears..
- Seam ripper.
With these five cutting tools for sewing ,you can make professional looking cloths anytime.
DRESSMAKERS FABRIC SHEARS
Sewing anything at all will be quite difficult without this dressmakers Fabric shears.
This was the very first cutting tool for sewing I bought when I started sewing.
And believe me it has served me well.
Dressmakers Fabric shears have long straight sharp blades.This can cut through several layers of fabric.
This cutting tool for sewing always gives a smooth cut,and is ideal for cutting fabric quickly. They normally have moulded handles with two holes.A smaller one for the thumb and a larger one for the fingers.
That not withstanding, always try your hands with the handles before buying them.The good thing about this cutting tool is that it can be right or left handed.
The handles of this dressmakers Fabric shears are at an angle to the blades. This makes it parallel to the fabric you are cutting ensuring that it remains flat.
In my early days of sewing, I used this cutting tool for both fabric and pattern paper.
Please avoid that🤥
If you do that,your shears will become blunt.You will then have to find ways to sharpen it.
Or even buy another one.
Dressmakers Fabric shears might be more expensive than the normal scissors.
But believe me,it is one of the most important sewing accessories for your sewing room.
Disclosure :Please note that some of the links ,contained in this post are affiliate links and and at no additional cost to you .I might earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase .Please know that I only recommend products I have worked with.That is because I find them to be quite useful in my sewing
PAPER SCISSORS ✂️
I work with a lot of downloadable custom body block patterns.
I now use paper scissors to cut my patterns. Are you learning pattern drafting as a beginner?
Then paper scissors should be among your pattern drafting tools.
It is very essential to have a pair of scissors just for paper.
I have three pairs of different sizes. Using your dressmakers Fabric shears to cut paper patterns is a no go.Doing this will make your blades become blunt.
The greatest frustration in sewing, is to use blunt scissors to cut your fabrics.
Fortunately this cutting tool for sewing is not as expensive as the dressmakers Fabric shears.
As long as you love sewing,you will definitely work with paper patterns. It is therefore advisable to have one or two pairs of paper scissors among your sewing accessories.
ROTARY CUTTERS.
I never used Rotary cutters when I first started sewing.
Now however I can’t imagine my sewing life without them.
This is one of my best cutting tools for sewing
The question most asked is ;
why buy a Rotary cutter when I have a pair of scissors,!
Rotary cutters are better and faster for cutting straight lines than scissors. The only challenge with this tool is to
1. know the exact size to use
2.Buy the accessories you need to use with it
3.learn how to use it.
Then try getting used to using it.
Rotary cutters come in 4main sizes
18,28,45,and 60mm.
The sizes correspond to the diameter of the blade.
If your sewing project involves a lot of curves,then the 18mm rotary cutter is best.
If however you will be cutting a lot of fabrics in yards,your best choice is the 60mm rotary cutter.
I have the 45mm rotary cutter because this can be used for all kinds of sewing projects.
People ask questions like:
1.HOW SHOULD A ROTARY CUTTER BE USED?
WHAT ACCESSORIES CAN YOU USE WITH A ROTARY CUTTER.
Let’s try and answer these two questions.
The accessories you need to work with a Rotary cutter are:
A self healing cutting matt and a quilting ruler.
To use a Rotary cutter, first place your fabric on the self healing cutting mat.
Determin the number of inches or centimetres you want to cut out.
Place your quilting ruler along the measured line.
Use one hand to hold the ruler in place and the other hand to cut with the rotary cutter.
When cutting, move cutter away from you not towards you
Don’t worry if it feels clumsy the first time.
Just keep practicing. Before you know it you will become a professional. 😇
PINKING SHARES CUTTING TOOL FOR SEWING
This is a cutting tool for sewing that resembles fabric shears.
The difference is that the blades of these shears have notched teeth.
Where does the name “pinking” actually come from?
The name “pinking”comes from the verb “to pink” that originally means to cut holes and slits in fabric solely for decorative purposes.
This teeth normally leave a zig zag edge on the fabric seams.This tends to neaten raw edges on seams.The edges can be sereted or scalloped
Do pinking shears stop fabric from fraying?
The answer is that pinking shears does not stop fabric from fraying.
BUT IT LIMITS IT.AND ELONGATES THE TIME IT TAKES THE FABRIC TO .FRAY
Expecially if it is used on cotton or crisp fabric.
Are pinking shears really worth it.?I would say YES.
Especially if you are a beginner at sewing.And you don’t have a serger machine yet.!
Moreover it is cheaper to use to finish your seams than using a serger or interlocking machine.
Pinking shears come in different sizes.If you want to cut fabric however ,the pinking shears with 8 inches blade is best.
There are a lot of quality pinking shears by different manufacturers.All you have to do is to check them out .Only buy what is best as a cutting tool for your sewing projects.
SEAM RIPPER.
This is a cutting tool for sewing that I hate having to use.But is an absolute must have.
As long as you sew,you are bound to make some sewing mistakes once in a while.
You need a seam ripper to remove the wrong stitches .
A seam ripper is a small sewing tool used for cutting and removing stitches.
It can also be used to cut open botton holes and cut excess threads.
The most common form consists of a handle, shaft and head.
The head is usually forked with a cutting surface situated at the base of the fork. Wikipedia
Another characteristics of a seam ripper, is the red ball on the opposite end.
This serves to protect your hand and the surrounding fabric from getting ripped.
There are two main types of seam ripper :
The forked head and
The curved blade.
The forked head seam ripper is the most popular seam ripper.Most sewers are familiar with this one.
Unfortunatly however not every sewer knows how to use it properly.
For years I did not know how to use it properly either🤔.
How can you use a seam ripper properly?
Check out the short video from Eco sewing and crafting to see how to use this cutting tool properly .
The curved blade seam ripper is more advanced than the forked head seam ripper.
The blade of this seam ripper resemble surgical blades.
They are extremely sharp and therefore not recommended for beginners.
THREAD SNIPPERS
What exactly are thread snippers.?
Thread snipper is a cutting tool for sewing used to cut off thread ends when sewing.
They are also called thread clippers or thread nippers.
As a seamstress,do you really need a thread clipper?.
Absolutely YES.
You see,I don’t just use my thread clipper to cut off thread as I sew.
I also use it to cut the thread before I put it through my sewing machine needles or hand needle.
This cutting tool is so tiny but oh so useful.
Its one of those sewing accessories that make sewing easy.
This is because it reduces the stress of cutting threads with your fabric scissors or even your hands.
EMBROIDERY/NEEDLE WORK SCISSORS
I have not yet tried hand embroidery. But I really love embroidery designs. And it is something I intend to get into in the nearest future.
What are embroidery scissors.?
These are small cute looking scissors with short blades and sharp points.
The blades are sometimes straight or curved upwards. The curved blade prevents you from cutting your fabric.
Especially if you are trimming threads close to the fabric.
This cutting tool gives greater control to intricate areas .
And they are ideal for snipping notches, clipping curves,or trimming seam allowances.
You may be wondering, why will I need an embroidery scissors when I have a thread snipper?
Well if you do any kind of zig zag design or full embroidery on fabric,
You need this cutting tool.!
The short sharp blades can cut through layers of embroidery thread much faster than a thread snipper.
Embroidery scissors are generally 2 to 6 inches long.This small size, makes it easy to handle and manipulate.
There are a lot of embroidery scissors brands in the market today.
As a beginner it can be confusing on which one to buy.
Find below a list of 6 best embroidery scissors to choose from.
Gingher 3 1/2 inch Embroidery Scissors
BIHRTC 2Pairs 4.5 Inch Embroidery Scissors
SERRETED SCISSORS
This is a scissors I never knew existed until a few years back.
What exactly are serrated scissors?🤔.
This is a scissors ✂️that has toothed or notched edges.This serrated or marginal teeth on the scissors, adds a grip to the cutting process.
Now comes the question:
why use a serrated scissors?
Have you ever worked with nylon or silk fabric.?
I have.
And believe me it is really frustrating to get a straight clean cut on silk fabric with dressmakers shears.!
If you have no intension of sewing with silk or nylon material then you dont need a serreted scissors.
On the other hand,if you will sew with these kinds of material,serreted scissors is a must item for your sewing accessories
PATTERN TRACING WEEL
I will not really refer to this as a cutting tool for sewing.I decided to include it here because it actually helps in the cutting process.
If you intend to learn pattern drafting skills,pattern tracing weel is a pattern making tool you cannot do without.
This is a tiny but very useful tool.It has tiny sharp wheels that rolls.
Tracing wheels are used to transfer pattern markings from pattern to tracing paper. They also transfer line markings to both sides of fabric at the same time.
Although they do not cut fabric,they give usefull markings that guide you in cutting your fabric.
WHAT ARE THE BEST SEWING SCISSORS TO BUY?
Ther are a lot of brands of the best sewing scissors.But here I will list eight best sewing scissors you can buy.
1.Westcott 13901 Straight Titanium Bonded Scissors
2.Gingher 8- inch Knife Edge Dressmaker’s Shears.
4. .Clear cuts Titanium Scissors
5. Handi Stitch 9 inch Tailor scissors
6.Fiskars 175800-1002 Razor-edge Soft grip Scissors.
8.LIVINGO Premium TAILOR Scissors.
ADVANCED CUTTING TOOLS FOR SEWING
the first advanced cutting tool i want to mention here is
Electric scissors.The first time I saw this was in a china dress making factory.
With electric scissors,you can cut through paper,leather and most importantly ,multiple layers of fabric.
That is why these scissors are best for the cloth-making industry or if you want to start up a sewing business.
I have never used an electric scissors.
But one of this days I will try my hands on it.
If you do not know what an electric scissors looks like,Check out this short video from paa-ting review showing some best electric scissors for cutting fabric.
DUCKBILL SCISSORS
You may be wondering What exactly are duckbill scissors?
This are very funny looking scissors.
The curved shape of one of the blades acts as a protective layer when trimming fabric.this preventa you from cutting the main fabric
This is probable the best applique sissors for precision.
BUTTONHOLE SCISSORS
Buttonhole scissors have a small screw that you can turn.
This will help you adjust the blade, creating cuts of specified lengths for the purpose of making buttonholes.
These scissors also have notches on their blades.
which allow you to open buttonholes without stretching or damaging the stitches.
They also come withadjustable screw so all of the buttonholes can be cut at an even length.
CUTTING TOOLS FOR SEWING ;CONCLUSION
MY FREE GIFT TO YOU FOR READING TO THE END OF THIS BLOCK POST
That is my list of cutting tools for sewing both for beginners and proffessionals.
If you know of any other cutting tool I did not mension,please comment below.
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