Declutter Challenge 2022 - Day 11 - Scissors and Cutters
In 2020, to keep ourselves engaged during COVID, my sew-sister’s issued a challenge. Each of us had to gather up all our scissors and rotary cutters and share a photo online. I thought I would be embarrassed by the quantity that I had, but funny enough I was in the middle of the pack.
Like our other tools, as we evolve as quilters, we experiment and accumulate different types of scissors and rotary cutters. Having the right grip can transform the cutting stage from a painful one to a great one. And having the right blade and blade shape affects our accuracy.
We often have specialty ones for different jobs, and we might keep them in different kits and with different projects. So having many isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The funny thing about scissors and rotary cutters is that they often get up and disappear. So we often hang on to the old ones as backups until we find the good ones hiding in our clutter. But we are getting rid of the clutter... right?
So start with your favourites. Make sure your kits and sewing stations have their sets. Then look at the remainder.
First look at the broken, the dull, and the hard to use. These ones can be passed on.
Then look at the specialty. You might be carrying some from another craft that you no longer use. I have a set of pinking scissors, almost as old as me. I hate them. They are hard to use so I never use them. I am finally going to part with them. If I need them again, I’ll replace them with ones that are not painful to cut with.
For my rotary cutters, I have decided to keep this style of cutter here and this style will go to the studio and I won’t have to worry about transporting them back and forth. And I have one more that I will keep in my travel kit.
This is also a good time to label your scissors and rotary cutters. You can use a sharpie or washi tape to identify where they go, their purpose or just identify that they are yours.
Be sure to have a good supply of rotary blades so that you are always working with a sharp blade. But it might be time to dispose of some old rotary blades or set a time to sharpen them. I double wrap them in paper, label them and then dispose of them with our other metal recycling.
And don't forget your stitch rippers. If they are dull, they cannot do a good job. Clear out any that you have lost confidence in.
While you are doing this challenge, you might want to watch these videos:
See you tomorrow for Day 12.