Scissors. scis·sors
[siz-erz]
noun:
a cutting instrument for paper, cloth, etc., consisting of two blades, each having a ring-shaped handle, that are so pivoted together that their sharp edges work one against the other (often used with pair of).
Origin:
1350–1400
Middle English cisoures, sisoures
Middle French: cisoires
Medieval Latin: cīsōria, plural of Late Latin cīsōrium cutting tool (see chisel); current spelling by association with Latin scindere to cut (past participle scīssus ), Medieval Latin scīssor tailor pair of scissors, scissor grip, scissors grip, scissors hold.
It’s a funny word to say out loud. Go ahead, say it: “Scissors”.
As a fiber artist, scissors are a necessity in daily life…
After deciding to start making that long-awaited quilt I wrote about in a previous post on March 13, 2013, I couldn’t help but wonder about whether I’d posted about it in the past at some point. After a quick search, I found the post I was looking for from back November 16, 2010. And, in that same post from 2010, I was in the same situation of pondering about this very same project made from these very same fabrics:
Getting back to the original topic: scissors.
I LOVE scissors. Especially nice scissors. Nice, heavy, shiny, all-metal scissors.
I’ve been using scissors my whole life. From being a toddler and playing with snub-nosed scissors to make paper cutouts to being a pre-teen learning to sew, scissors were always in my hand.
At the young age of eight years old I was taught to sew on my mom’s Kenmore sewing machine. Being a budding young magician, I wanted to make a magician’s cape and she let me pick through her storage box of assorted satins and the most “mod” synthetic polyester blends. Anything I wanted to use was fair game. Except for the scissors. We were FORBIDDEN to use her GOOD scissors. We could use anything we wanted, but the scissors were off limits under penalty of punishment. Instead, we were “allowed” to use an old pair of heavy upholstery shears with painted black handles that were from my grandparent’s upholstery shop. (They had gotten new “fancy” scissors and gave us the old cast off shears.) And those shears were heavy for my little hands. Using two hands at times, it was a chore to get those loosely-screwed and dull blades to hack through the black polyester satin fabric. The cape was eventually made and a magic performance was held on the back porch for all the neighborhood children.
For quite a few years I worked in the fabric industry in both the retail environment and in drapery and upholstery workrooms. Scissors were THE tool of the trade. In those environments, though, workers were supplied with generic orange or blue plastic-handled scissors. Management often referred to them as “shears”, but they were still cheap hacking implements at best. Sure, they served their most basic of functions: to separate lengths of fabric into smaller sections. NOT a nice experience at all. There are few things worse than trying to cut through heavy upholstery fabric with dull scissors. It’s more of a scissor sawing motion than true cutting.
And then one day it happened: a new upholsterer joined the workroom. He was from El Salvador and arrived to the shop with a small handcrafted wooden tool box filled with his own upholstery tools. Upon giving Miguel a tour of the workroom I got him stationed at his own workbench where he proceeded to unpack his well-used tools of the trade.
He laid out each tool with the gentlest of care, aligning one to the other on the bench. That’s when I saw them: a shimmering pair of long-blade shears. At that moment, as the overhead fluorescent lights danced off the sharply-honed blades, I was sure I heard angels sing as the twinkle of reflected light hit my eyes. Raising my hand to reach out and touch them, he rapidly grabbed the scissors from the bench before I could touch them. He clutched them to his chest and our eyes met. He slowly shook his head back and forth. “Please, no touch,” he said to me in a thick and masculine El Salvadoran whisper. It was at that exact moment that I understood the true worth of a valued pair of scissors.
Over the years I’ve developed quite a collection of scissors. Yes, it would appear that I am a scissor whore. Specifically, a Gingher scissor whore. I find it hard to resist a sparkling chrome plated pair of dressmaker’s shears. And I take excellent care of them, too. In my own defense, I DO take my scissors to be sharpened by a reputable blade sharpener locally. For a mere $5, I can get my scissors sharpened, cleaned and oiled in a week.
Allow me to give you a quick our of my scissor series. (The specifics of each may be found on the Gingher products page here.) And, no I was not compensated for this review, just a happy customer of their products.
A: Cherished. My most precious and coveted shears. These are safely stowed away in their black blade protector. Used on only the finest of fabrics.
B: The Black Ribbon Scissors. The black ribbon signifies death. Anyone thinking about using these should think twice. The ribbon will mark your death. NO questions asked. My generic pair, used as a mask to avert attempts at locating pair A.
C: The Whatevers. Cut paper. Cut salami. Cut a tin can. I don’t care. These get sharpened more than any other blade in the house.
D: Applique scissors. The most ingenious scissors. I was amazed when I discovered these. The spoon bill slips under the fabric to allow easier to cut the backing away. Ingenious.
E: Medium scissors. These are in one of my sewing boxes, used for mending, attaching labels and other things of that nature.
F: Desk Scissors: I keep these here in my desk drawer. Just because.
G: Tiny scissors: Kept in my sewing thread caddy, allowing easy access to snipping thread when hand stitching.
H: Snips. Just an unusual pair of thread snips. Kept in my weaving cigar box when I’m dressing my loom or winding bobbins.
I: Another pair of snips that slip into a black plastic sleeve. I bought these years ago and just found them when I was bringing all the scissors together for this photo.
Now, as far as storage of such fine pieces go, there are numerous options:
Storage in their original store-bough packaging (Not ideal since most are sold in blister packaging these day)
Hanging from a hook in your work area (Makes for a nice display as well as easy-access)
Tossed carelessly into a drawer with other tools of the trade (I’m not even going to comment on this one…)
Placed into their own divided compartment in either a desk drawer or other storage device like a sewing box, etc. (Always appropriate)
Something that you’ve designed and made for yourself
Ok, so you probably already saw where I was going with this one, right? I’m going to go with Option #5. I have done all of the above with the exception of #3, which, again, I am not going to comment upon. My favorite has always been to have them hanging on hooks in my sewing area in the studio. They are easy to find, easy to get to, and always ready.
There are, times, too, when that’s not always possible. For example, when creating a slipcover or doing upholstery and you’re always moving about, just setting the scissors down nearby can cause a whole lot of commotion and anxiety when trying to locate the lost scissors under piles and piles of fabrics, trash and other paraphernalia of the trade. And wearing 8″ shears on a cord around your neck is not an option. I tend to just shove them into my rear pocket. That was my norm for quite a few years. And those nice, sharp shears were great at putting holes into the rear pockets of many a nice pair of jeans over the years. (And, no, you can not replace those nice Jordache or Calvin Klein jeans with the fancy top stitching any longer, not even on eBay!)
That was, until the time I was at work and hastily shoved the scissors into my pocket when they weren’t completely closed. Those two sharp blades sliced right through the jeans and quickly lanced my right butt cheek. It was that little incident that forced me to create my first nylon scissor holster. The first prototypes were made from nylon and were made to go into the back pocket, much like a pocket protector for pens that fit inside a shirt pocket. Over the years it was redesigned numerous times. One day, after watching some construction workers high up on scaffolding, I got an idea. Seeing those guys working with their cordless screwdrivers and other tools safely stowed in their tool belts made me think that there better ways of handing tools. On another day while walking around Boston, I saw a police officer with his gun in a holster and I knew I was on the right track. I needed a holster for my scissors.
Back to the drawing board I went and made a scissor holster out of wide nylon webbing. It was constructed in such a way that the nylon was folded over the belt and then became the pocket for the scissors. It was rather ingenious, if I may say so. And that nylon holster lasted for a number of years.
Currently, I’m not in the interior design trade, so scrambling about on furniture and floor is no longer an issue. When I sew, it’s sitting at my desk, where my scissors are hung on hooks next to the sewing machine. It’s all quite handy, really. Of course, this got me thinking, too, with all the scraps of leather I’ve got from various projects, could I make a new style sheath for my scissors? I decided to give it a try. The following is the process for making a wet-molded scissor sheath for my scissors.
1: When making a leather scabbard for scissors the best template is the actual pair of scissors itself. Given the amount of water and moisture involved in the sheath-making process, it’s always best to wrap the scissors in plastic wrap. Plus, the extra layers give added padding so that when the wet leather dries and shrinks, it still gives room to easily remove the shears from the case.
It wasn’t until I wrapped a pair of scissors in plastic wrap in preparation for making the leather holster that I realized just how phallic scissors truly are. I mean, really.
“Is that a pair of scissors in your pocket or are ya just happy to see me?”
2: Taking a random scrap piece of vegetable tanned leather, it was soaked in warm water for a few minutes until no more bubbles emerged. It is then placed over the scissors and given the general shape by pressing it in with fingers and other no-sharp objects. The leather is easily marked, so careful attention must be paid to NOT blemish it during this process.
3: As the leather was allowed to dry, it was placed on another piece of scrap leather that will be used as the back.
This is a good time to point out that it’s always best to pay attention from the start of the project. Preferably in the early planning stages.
I am right handed, and, when using my scissors, I also tend to keep them in my right rear pants pocket. The actual position of the scissors in this case above are orientated for left handed removal from the case.
Yes, I’ve got them backwards.
4: With the wrapped scissors in the correct orientation, it was time to start again.
5: Another piece of leather was chosen and wetted, also known as cased.
6: In this instance, I opted to go with a folded case instead. The wet leather was simply folded and pressed into place around the scissors. Note the use of the bone folder which helped greatly in getting a nice, tight outline in the wet leather.
The finished case, above.
The finished case with my handcraft logo.
While I was on my scissor case kick, I thought it was time to recreate the holster in leather. So, while the scissors were wrapped in plastic wrap, work began on making the front of the holster.
The holster front was glued to the back once hey were dried. The pieces were trimmed close, allowing enough room to run a series of holes for hand stitching the pieces together.
The finished holster, above, with the belt loop riveted in place. Snaps are an option, too, but I chose to go with the rivets to ensure it would stay put on the belt.
The finished leather scissor sheath and leather scissor holster:
What are your favorite scissors? How do you store them?
During the writing of this article, I’ve acquired a couple of more pairs of scissors. A favorite store is going out of business and having a huge sale…
