Friday, September 9, 2011

Friday Confession



So, this week's confession is another thing that I'm probably not as good about as I should be - it's my sewing scissors - while I am very good about never using them for cutting paper, I have never had them sharpened... :(

How about you? Do you get your scissors sharpened regularly? If so, how often? And do you do it yourself or do you have it done somewhere? I see that my local Joann's sometimes has a sign up for free sharpening - do you take advantage of those events? What do you recommend?

13 comments:

Unknown said...

PAPER?!
Oh, I worked in a costume shop long enough to know better, haha... However, I have not gotten my scissors sharpened. I've only had them for about 3 years, and have not cut much out in that time... but maybe it's time anyway.

mamafitz said...

i get them sharpened whenever they need it. so, it could be years or months. between my 3 pairs, i always have a good sharp pair. i take them to the sewing machine shop. apparently they have some specific machine or something for gingher shears. whether that's true or not, they do a great job, and my scissors always come to a perfect point. when i lived in scottsdale, we took our scissors to a surgical supply place.

as far as paper - i cut paper with my scissors. it's just a cellulose fiber like cotton or linen.

BConky said...

I just buy new ones. ha ha. I've never sharpened any of my scissors

Anne L said...

I don't own really expensive scissors - I use a Fiskars scissor sharpener like this: http://www.crafts-too.com/acatalog/info_9600B33.html

Webfrau said...

My scissors are Wiltshire ones that come with their own self-sharpening case and they're still sharp after at least 25 years of use. No professional sharpening required.

marysews said...

Scissors, no, but I replace my cutting blades at least once a year.

CarlaF-in Atlanta said...

I bought a pair of Kai dressmaking shears 2 years ago and I need another pair. I haven't sharpened them yet but I will next March when the Scissor guy comes to the Sewing & Quilting Expo in Atlanta

wendy said...

I have never had my scissors sharpened, either. I guess I should one of these days, but they still seem to cut ok! Actually, I use a rotary cutter for most work, and I do change out the blades on that quite a bit.

katherine h said...

I got one pair sharpened once, and they have never worked properly since. I have had "get scissors sharpened" on my to-do list since the start of the year. I rang some guy about it back in February, but he had gone on holidays for a week. Last week I (guilty, guilty) bought a new pair because none of my others was sharp enough to cut through lycra. It is nice to have sharp scissor again. Still need to get those other 2 pairs (plus 1 op shop pair) sharpened.

gwensews said...

Sharpening should be done by someone who knows how. Blades are easily ruined by improper sharpening. I usually use a rotary cutter for cutting out garments and then use trimmers when constructing.

Summerset said...

I get mine sharpened when they need it. I either take them when the scissor guy is at Jo-ann's or to a local sewing machine shop that I know sharpens scissors.

Anonymous said...

Normally I use Fiskers spring-loaded scissors and use the Fiskers sharpener. The problem with the sharpener is it only reachs about 2/3 of the way up the blades so the last 1/3 just gets duller and duller. Eventually I have to replace them with a new pair...about 5-6 years. Old fabric scissors become paper scissors. I did buy a pair of Gingher scissors but they hurt my thumbs when I use them. I replace rotary cutting blades when they start leaving threads uncut.
Linda T

Anonymous said...

last time I had my scissors sharpened I took them to my local Bernina shop. He did a pretty good job and even let me watch him do it. They didn't stay sharp very long though. I have three pairs of Ginger. One I use all the time. one I only use for you know that expensive fabric you want to be cut perfectly, and one pair of ginger scissors for shears. I love those.Nothing like cutting a fine piece of fabric with great sharp scissors.