I don't really cut out my pieces before I fuse them. I just cut them into rough shapes. I use the Fiskars type scissors for that. There are probably half a dozen pairs of that type of scissors around here. Some that are so dull the only thing they will cut is paper. After I have rough cut shapes fused to my fabric then I use a small pair of Elan scissors to cut them out with. They're serrated and super sharp with a very fine blade.