11 Common Types of Sewing & Quilting Scissors | Bernina Sew N' Quilt Studio

Scissors, shears, snips—no matter which type of lopper you use, they’re all among the most important tools in the kit of anyone who takes up a needle to join or decorate fabric.

With such a wide variety out there, it may be hard to know which you need and which would be best for a given project. That’s why we’ve compiled this guide to some common types and what they’re used for.

We aren’t saying you should keep all these around; if you’re a quilter, you may never need a pair of embroidery scissors. Likewise, embroidery probably won’t require heavy-duty shears unless you’re actually tailoring the items you’re adorning. However, having the scissors you’re likely to need around can save you the hassle of tracking them down when you do need them.

Scissors You Might Need for Cloth Working

1. Applique Scissors—Also called “duckbill scissors” or “pelican scissors” because of the way they look. The rounded hump on one of the blades is meant to help keep you from cutting through your base fabric.

2. Dressmaker’s Shears—These are long scissors with knife-like blades used for cutting through fabric precisely, with enough leverage to ensure your lines are clean.

3. Embroidery Scissors—These small scissors have short, thin and pointy blades, and are designed to cut threads of all types.

4. Embroidery Snips—Yes, there is a difference. Embroidery snips look a bit like tweezers and function similarly. You simply squeeze them to actuate the small blades at one end of the implement. They’re great for getting into small spaces to cut thread.

5. Heavy-duty Shears—These are perfect for cutting through thick fabrics, such as denim. They have large, open loops meant to provide comfortable leverage for the work.

6. Paper Scissors—Also called pattern scissors, these are used for cutting the delicate paper of patterns. They’re sharp with thin blades, which makes them perfect for making those cuts without ripping or crumpling the paper.

7. Pinking Shears—These scissors have sawtooth blades that create zig-zag cuts that are less likely to fray, which makes them perfect for working with woven fabrics.

8. Quilting Scissors—Like heavy-duty shears, these are meant to make it through even thick fabrics, but are designed to be a bit more precise than those so you can cut clean squares.

9. Rotary Cutter—This specialized tool is also used to cut fabric for quilting. It has a very-sharp circular blade that rotates at the end of a straight handle to cut through fabric with precision.

10. Spring-loaded Scissors—These make the work of cutting bolts of fabric easier by taking the work of opening the blades off the operator.

11. Tailor’s Scissors—You know how you can make cutting wrapping paper easier by letting the paper glide against the blades as you slide the scissors through it? That’s essentially the idea here. These have long, sharp blades that make longer cuts with each action, too.

If you want to stock up on the tools you need for embroidery, quilting or sewing, stop by Bernina Sew N’ Quilt Studio today!