Sewing and Craft Scissors

Not all scissors and shears are all-purpose to handle all tasks. Sewing scissors come in a variety of styles, sizes, and blade shapes for heavy duty, fine, and decorative cuts. Staples offers a large selection of scissors with different materials, grips, and finishes to fit any home, office or school project.

Choosing the Right Pair of Sewing Scissors for Your Task
Scissors and kitchen shears aren't the same cutting tool. Blades under 6 inches are scissors, and ones over that are shears. Some common types include fabric, pinking, sharp tip, heavy duty, and fine tip scissors. Fabric shears should be comfortable to use for extended periods of cutting cloth. Also, they need to be sharp and strong for a clean, smooth cut, so you might want to consider picking up new scissor sharpeners. To prevent fabric from fraying, trim the edge of the fabric with the serrated edge of pinking shears. Pinking leaves the material with a jagged appearance and is used for inside seams. Use sharp or micro-tip scissors for cutting thread, removing buttons, and areas that are hard to reach. For thick fabrics, such as denim, leather or suede, choose a heavy-duty pair. Fine-tip blades work well for detail work that needs small, intricate cuts such as borders and necklines.

Find a Comfortable Pair of Sewing Scissors to Use
The handles have loops that fit your fingers and grips to prevent them from slipping. Some sewing scissors have a spring-action feature that reduces soreness and hand fatigue by automatically opening the blades back up after each cut. A silicon or rubber nonslip grip are also useful tools for cutting through different strips of fabric. Choose options that are light enough to use without straining your arm or wrist.

Are All Sewing Scissors Multipurpose?
Not all scissors or shears are universal. Keep a separate pair for fabrics to prevent the blades from dulling. Use a different pair for crafts that involve tape or glue. Unless they are taken apart and thoroughly cleaned before the next use, any leftover residue can result in uneven cuts.

What Finishes Are Available for Sewing Scissors?
The blades are stainless steel or high carbon steel. Handles with grips come in basic colors, such as black, blue, yellow and white. They are also available in a large assortment of bold colors and patterns.

Is it Hard to Resharpen Sewing Scissors?
With a sharpening stone, a screwdriver, oil and a clean piece of cloth, you can sharpen any blades. If the shears have a screw holding the two blades together, remove it and separately run both edges across the stone. For very dull blades, start with the coarse side of the stone and use the fine side for regular touch-ups. Before putting the pair back together, wipe them down lightly with oil.

How Do You Care for Sewing Scissors?
You can increase the lifetime of your cutting tools with proper care and storage. Remove any fibers and wipe the blades with a slightly oiled cloth after each use. Store clean scissors in a sheath or wrap them in a soft towel to prevent extra wear on the blades. Check out other great office supplies Staples carries to see how we can help you make more happen.