I bought one of these scapel-like seam rippers. Someone told me they work great. So far I've only managed to put a couple slits in a block as I was ripping a seam! Is there a trick to using them?

I have a couple of these type of seam rippers. One with a handle and then one that does not have a handle. I have found that they are not all equal. I have found that the one that is a curved blade with the handle (made by Nifty Notions, I believe) does not have a pointed tip and tends to cut blocks. I'm not sure why. My plain blade has a very pointed tip and does not do this and I am able to get even the tiniest stitches with no problem.

If I'm taking out a seam I make sure to pull the seam open, cut on or two threads to get started and at a slight angle push away from me while holding the seam open. If I am taking stitches out of a block I make sure I am holding the area taut so that I can get right under the stitches. Sometimes having a little slack in the fabric can make it easier to slit the fabric.

I use a rotary cutter that is not super sharp. I slit my fabric one time only, which was when a lady made a loud sound that made me jump.

i only use that type of seam ripper to skin my quilts on a frame not to remove stitches in a seam.

Mine has a curved tip and I just have to make sure to slip it under the thread. If I drag it across the thread, I can end up cutting the fabric. Still I much prefer it over the regular seam ripper.

Susan

Sounds like I need to practice and be careful! Thanks for the input.

get a second person to help you. or get very good at holding the fabric with your toe! lol

I always have my husband hold one side I hold the other side and then I just slit down the middle.

OR another way to do it is to hold the fabrics TOGETHER and clamp it down to something on one end and hold the other end taught in your hand. Put the ripper between the two layers of fabric and move forward SLOWLY! as long as its sharp it shouldn't take much more than a touch.