Alternative cutting tools and scissors for dressmaking

Scissors are an essential bit of every dressmakers sewing tool box but there is more to it than a pair of dressmaking shears for cutting out your fabric!

In the g&g shop we stock lots of different types of scissors for all things sewing so in this product review I’m going to feature 4 different kinds of ‘cutting tools’ - 3 scissors and a rotary cutter.

To see them in action - check out my latest Youtube video.

A twist on the classic dressmaking shears - Prym Micro serration scissors

These scissors are different from regular fabric scissors as along the blade they have very tiny little teeth - that’s the micro serration bit. They are ideal for cutting fine and slippery fabrics as those little teeth grip the fabric and give you more control. Look closely at the blade (pictured right) and you'll see the tiny little teeth.

They are also good for thicker fabrics like denim, especially when it comes to cutting through lots of layers as instead of pushing the fabric away as you cut, the teeth grip onto the fabric and hold it steady for you to cut.

We use them on the shop floor and the g&g team find them really great to use on most fabrics. If the fabric is a but fluffy, for example a fleece backed sweatshirt fabric, then it can sometimes catch on the looser weave.

They are a great addition to your scissor kit, especially if you like sewing with lighter weight fabrics!

Safety first with this Prym Love Rotary cutter

If, like me, you were an avid viewer of the Sewing Bee this year, you will have noticed that a lot of the contestants used rotary cutters to cut out their fabrics. Traditionally used for patchwork and quilting, rotary cutters have become more popular for dressmaking over recent years.

This Prym Love rotary cutter has a lovely soft grip handle that is suitable for left and right handed people. It has a special safety lock mechanism that works but first unlocking the blade.

The plastic guard stays in place until you put pressure on the blade to cut and then it automatically retracts - amazing!

Trim those loose ends with thread snippers

Having a smaller pair of scissors in your tool box is really useful for lots of things and these easy grip scissors are great!

They are super easy to quickly pick up when you have loose threads to clip off and can be held in different ways to get a really precise cut.

They would also be really handy for clipping or notching curved seam allowances to reduce bulk.

Keep it neat with Applique scissors

These applique scissors, also known as duckbill scissors, have a larger rounded blade on one side that helps to keep fabric out of the way as you are cutting.

They are ideally suited to trimming round applique motifs and reducing the risk of accidentally cutting the fabrics underneath, but they are also commonly used when grading seam allowances on dressmaking projects.

They would be especially useful when working with thicker fabric where you need to cut down just one layer of the seam allowance.