TOOLS//SCISSORS

Like Edward you’re going to need a couple of pairs of scissors to make your life easier.

You need a fabric pair just for cutting fabric. Investing in a decent pair of Fabric scissors/shears will make cutting easier, faster and more accurate. Use them only for fabric so they don’t get blunt as quickly. Fiskars with the orange handle are a good brand to start with as the scissors are reasonably priced and light weight so easy to manoeuvre. You want scissors that have one side flatter than the other so you can use this as a balance on the table when you cut to get a more accuracy.

A pair of paper scissors to cut out and amend your patterns are needed too, mostly to stop the urge to use your fabric ones when you shouldn’t be – when you think oh I’ll just cut this little bit of paper/cardboard/split-ends in your hair – DON’T it will blunt your scissors. If you don’t want to invest in heavy duty scissors at this point you can use a pair of craft or kitchen scissors like ones from Ikea – choose a pair with a long blade to make your cuts more fluid.

A small pair of snip/embroidery scissors are useful for cutting threads while you’re at the sewing machine and when you’ve finished to tidy up any loose threads. They are also great for unpicking and snipping notches when cutting out. These aren’t necessary at the start but are definitely handy to have.

Pinking shears can be expensive. They are the scissors that create the zigzag lines in fabric when cut. You can use this as a finishing inside your garments as it keeps fraying to a minimum or as a detail on the outside. They are not a necessity. If you buy these definitely do not use them to cut paper.