Scissors Make a Difference!

One of the most used tools in my sewing room are my scissors. I remember the first “REAL” pair of sewing scissors I bought with my own money - they are still very much loved and have a special place of honor in my sewing room, but as I have developed new skills as a sewist, quilter, and embroiderer, I have learned about all kinds of neat scissors and sharp tools that are really useful for different parts of my work with fabrics, sewing machines, and thread! And obviously, can we really ever have “too many” good scissors?

In embroidery we are doing all sorts of things in between steps of the embroidery we are working on. One of my most-repeated tips is to trim the thread tails from the starts and stops of each color stop with every change of color or every step in the embroidery project. I trim the tails on the front AND back of my hoop, especially if I am matching the bobbin thread and have to remove the hoop anyway. When I trim those little threads frequently, there is a lot less work to do at the end. I know you know what can happen when you get in a hurry, right? There is always potential for a mess, and when you have loose thread tails there is the potential for your machine’s foot to “trip” on those threads, which can lead to a broken needle, misaligned stitching, or a project that is unsalvageable. Thankfully, I have found several kinds of thread snipping scissors at Grome’s that are really great to get close to the embroidery and clean things up.

The Havel’s Snip- EZE thread snips are great for cleaning up the thread tails and their precision tips are just slightly curved, so I feel like I am less likely to catch the background material and accidentally snag it with the tip of the snips. The snips are easy to use because you hold onto them from the outside, no fingerholes to worry about, and you just squeeze them to trim the threads. They really are fun to use!

Sidehoppers are another great way to trim thread tails and these tiny snips are great at getting in between areas of embroidery to trim the jump stitches away. They are a tiny little tool, so I like to keep one at each machine so that they don’t have to travel around my sewing room. Plus, they are just so cute! I love all things cute and I love these little Sidehoppers! Like the larger Snip-EZE snips, you don’t have to worry about fingerholes, just give them a little squeeze!

Have you had a chance to try any applique on your embroidery machine? There are LOTS of different kinds of scissors specifically designed to use with your embroidery machine for applique, and they have a nice curve or a double curve so that you can get them down into the hoop without disturbing the way you have hooped your fabric and stabilizer. Some applique scissors have a cool “duckbill” on them to help you avoid marring the fabric, while others do not. I have found that it takes a bit of practice to get good at applique, but the curve of these unique scissors definitely helps you get the nicest finish. My absolute favorite scissors for embroidery machine applique are the Kai double curved embroidery scissors. These super sharp precision tip scissors are lightweight and have comfortable grips as well as a smooth curve to their blades which makes getting into the hoop to trim the fabric and extra stitches around applique material closely simply a breeze.

I hope you enjoyed learning about these specialty embroidery scissors. I could talk all day about my favorite scissors! I seriously love my collection of scissors and the tools we have available to us make the necessary trimming and snipping tasks not only delightful and fun, but a little bit easier, too! Be sure to stop by Grome’s to see their latest offerings in cutting! You can pick up all my favorites on your next shopping trip and don’t be surprised if you see me hanging out around the scissor wall to make sure I haven’t missed their newest addition!

XOXO,
Sheila Ryan for Grome’s Sewing Machine Co.

Bio:

Sheila Ryan is a San Antonio based embroidery enthusiast. She loves sharing projects and design ideas with embroidery machine owners and helping them develop their skills and passion for the many wonderful techniques possible with machine embroidery. When she is not busy digitizing new embroidery designs for her business Designs by Babymoon, you might find Sheila buried under a new quilting project or busy with other crafts like watercolor and mixed media painting. Sheila loves dragging out all the supplies and mixing things up to see what will happen. She hopes that you will fall in love with making beautiful things with her.

Links to Sheila's Facebook, Instagram, YouTube & Website

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Published: 4/27/2024