Sacred fabric shears

Quilters make and share quilts. They share patterns, tips and techniques.
Quilters never share their best pair of fabric scissors with anyone reaching to use cloth cutting shears for any purpose other than cutting cloth. Every seamstress knows that using fabric shears to cut anything else could ruin them for cutting fabric. That protectiveness generated much discussion recently on a quilting Facebook thread.
The topic began with one question, “Is anyone else protective of their fabric scissors? I caught my husband using my best scissors to open a light fixture. I threatened to use his fancy screw driver to open a paint can. He immediately dropped the scissors and used a different tool.”
The responses came quickly.
“No, not at all, why?” (Teeth grinding).
“I caught my hubby cutting fiber glass with mine.”
“On no, don’t touch my fabric scissors, my husband knows better after I threatened him!”
“My wife hides her favorite scissors because I said to her that I used them to cut a can.”
“Once I had my husband use my $400 hair cutting scissors on paper. We will just say that never happened again – a power tool went missing.”
“Mine were labeled ‘fabric only’ and I would catch my son stripping electrical wire with them. Ugh!”
“I made my hubby go to the fabric store and buy me a new pair to replace the pair he ruined. He was appalled at the price and never used mine again.”
“I told my husband and kids that if they messed with my fabric scissors, I would break their fingers! They knew I wouldn’t, but Mom got her message across!”
“My husband is my scissor guardian angel. He gets very mad if anyone tries to use them for anything else. He has bought several pairs for me, though, so he knows the value of them first hand.”
“My husband knows not to touch my sewing stuff, he doesn’t go in my sewing room looking for things like that. My father-in-law on the other hand used my mother-in-law’s rotary cutter to cut the carpet. The blade was not the same after that and she had to buy a new one.”
Education sometimes guards against misuse. The techniques (and success) varies.
“My daughters learned from birth do not touch mom’s orange handle scissors. As an adult, my daughter was working on gift baskets at work. Someone included orange handled scissors, she said ‘those scissors are only for fabric.’ They kind of ignored her. Then someone else said ‘orange handled scissors are for fabric.’”
“Ask for scissors as a birthday or Christmas gift. Those who purchase them give them the value they deserve. Mine also have a label that says: ‘Touch these and die.’”
“I have a pair of Fiskars that I bought over 30 years ago and my husband and son know they’ve signed their death warrant if they even THINK of using them! After all these years and miles and miles of fabric, they’re still sharp as ever!…(the scissors, not the husband or son).”
Some quilters take measures to protect their shears.
“I have separate tools for paper and cooking from my sewing tools.”
“Padlock.”
“Mine are marked with thick black sharpie. ‘Fabric Only!’”
“We keep three pairs of shears in the kitchen for anyone to use. They are sharp enough to distract from my tools.”
“We just have a rule: Plastic handled scissors can be borrowed. Metal handled scissors are mine ONLY.”
“I hide my good scissors. I have a caddy with other scissors that anyone can use. Hubby and son are not allowed in my sewing studio for any reason whatsoever. Well, unless it is to repair something, even then they are supervised.”
Remember that the next time you see a quilt lovingly made by someone – the same person who sharply, severely admonished (even threatened) anyone and everyone to not touch the scissors used to make it.