I didn't now why we guard our fabric scissors so zealously until I read the following response to that question by Marilyn vos Savant in Parade magazine. Here's her answer:
"Paper typically contains hard minerals that aren't found in fabric, so cutting even ordinary paper will dull blades more than cutting fabric. Wrapping paper is worse, and holiday wrap with all its foil and sparkly accents may be the most damaging of all. Fabric shears are quickly dulled by using them for household purposes, so hide those shears from the rest of the family! Cutting fabric (and hair, etc.) requires very sharp scissors because the fibers bend and slip away from the blades so easily."