The Sewing Place

Tools of the Trade => The Haberdashery => Topic started by: Sewingsue on April 24, 2017, 10:34:13 AM

Title: Pinking shears
Post by: Sewingsue on April 24, 2017, 10:34:13 AM

Prompted by a comment on another thread.

I have never owned a pair of pinking shears, so, basic question, please - when do you need them and how useful are they?

Title: Re: Pinking scissors
Post by: SkoutSews on April 24, 2017, 14:06:36 PM

They're useful for neatening seam allowances on fabric that frays.  I'm thinking in particular of lining fabric, where you don't want a bulky seam finish, but need to avoid long, wispy threads hanging out of the garment. 

Quality of pinking shears is variable.  I have a Pikaby pair which I bought years ago with no great expectations, as they were cheapish.  They turned out to be good.

Am I alone in liking to use pinking shears?  All the pretty zig-zags, I enjoy lining them up!

Title: Re: Pinking shears
Post by: elephun on April 24, 2017, 18:04:03 PM

They are great if they work. They tend to mash up fabric when they get dull and some get dull very quickly. Some seem to be dull from the start. In the US, it can be hard to find someone to sharpen sewing scissors locally, and it's pretty near impossible to find anyone to sharpen pinking shears here. Nonetheless, I'd still love a pair that works!
I'm trying a rotary cutter with a pinking blade next time I need a pinker.

Title: Re: Pinking shears
Post by: Lilian on April 24, 2017, 18:27:57 PM

I love my pinking shears, I bought them a few years ago, they are Fiskars and cost £22.50, I use them quite a bit especially for trimming seams in dresses, and they are still sharp as sharp!  :snip:

Title: Re: Pinking shears
Post by: maliw on April 24, 2017, 19:55:17 PM

I have two pairs but one belonged to my mum and I didn't want to get rid of them. The other pair I bought in about 2007 (didn't have mum's then) to replace an old pair, I can honestly say that the number of times I've used them I can count on one hand as I tend to use the overlocker for any edges that need neatening. That said I don't sew fine fabrics very often so I would probably use them more.

Title: Re: Pinking shears
Post by: NeilM on April 25, 2017, 01:36:37 AM

I got mine specifically for reducing Fraying, also makes the edges look neater :)

Title: Re: Pinking shears
Post by: elephun on April 25, 2017, 02:31:15 AM

Here are a couple of YouTube videos about the care and feeding of pinking shears that might be interesting:
How to keep your pinking shears operating smoothly (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCC6Kh4nn4g)
Scissor Sharpening: How to Sharpen Pinking Shears (https://youtu.be/GMeYXf9DxxI)