Fabric Scissors

Most sewing projects call for a few different types of fabric scissors:

• Fabric shears (8" to 10"): Your main cutting tool. Bent-handle designs keep fabric flat on the table for cleaner cuts through multiple layers.
• Embroidery scissors (4" to 5"): Small with pointed tips for snipping threads, trimming seam allowances, and cutting around curves.
• Pinking shears: Zigzag blades that reduce fraying on raw edges. Useful for finishing seam allowances on fabrics that unravel easily.
• Thread snips: Spring-loaded one-handed cutters for quick trimming at the sewing machine.

Having separate scissors for fabric and paper keeps your fabric shears sharp longer. Paper dulls blades quickly.

Fabric scissors have sharper, finer blades designed to slice cleanly through cloth fibers without crushing or fraying them. Regular household scissors have thicker, blunter blades built for paper, tape, and cardboard. Using regular scissors on fabric results in ragged edges, uneven cuts, and faster blade dulling. Fabric shears also have a bent handle that keeps the fabric flat against your cutting surface, while regular scissors lift the fabric as you cut. If you sew regularly, a dedicated pair of fabric scissors is one of the best investments you can make.

Serrated scissors have blades with fine teeth that grip the fabric while cutting, preventing it from sliding between the blades. They are the best choice for slippery or lightweight fabrics like silk, chiffon, satin, and polyester that tend to shift during cutting with standard smooth-blade scissors. The Kai Professional Serrated Scissors are a popular option. Serrated blades do leave a slightly rougher cut edge than smooth blades, so they are best for cutting pieces that will be sewn (not for decorative raw edges).

Fabric shears give you clean, straight cuts and are your everyday cutting tool for pattern pieces, yardage, and general sewing. Pinking shears cut a zigzag edge that helps prevent fabric from fraying. Use fabric shears for your primary cutting and pinking shears specifically for finishing raw edges on seam allowances, especially on fabrics that unravel easily like linen and cotton broadcloth. Pinking shears are not a replacement for fabric shears. Most sewers own both. The Kai 9" Pinking Shears are a solid choice for clean zigzag cuts.

Yes. Left-handed fabric scissors have reversed blade orientation so the cutting line stays visible while you cut, and the grip is shaped for the left hand. Standard right-handed scissors block the cut line when used left-handed and cause hand fatigue. We carry the Kai 8.5" Left-Handed Dressmaking Shears and the Kai 5210L 8" True Left-Handed Scissors. If you are left-handed, using proper left-handed shears will immediately improve your cutting accuracy and comfort.

The most recommended brands for sewing scissors are:

• Kai: Japanese-made scissors with extremely sharp, lightweight blades. Popular with quilters and garment sewers. Known for staying sharp through heavy use and comfortable ergonomic handles. The Kai S-Series 3-Piece Set is a great starter set with shears, detail scissors, and thread snips.
• Tula Pink: Precision scissors with a distinctive colorful design. The Tula Pink 8" Shears are a popular choice for quilters, and they also offer serrated, duckbill, and left-handed options.
• Floriani: Specialty scissors for embroidery and stabilizer trimming. The Floriani Precision Tip Scissors are designed for detailed trimming work.

We also carry scissors from Quilters Select, Karen Kay Buckley, and Handi Quilter for specific quilting and craft applications.