I am new to quilting and I want to buy myself a decent pair of shears. Suggestions?!!
Thanks to "eparys" for helping to draw my attention to what I should have initially typed...I'm not in the market for scissors right now, but rather "cutting shears". :lol:

Well - it would depend on $$ and I assume that you are looking for cutting shears ??? and not specialty scissors.

For general cutting shears, I have a pair of Gingers that I have had for 30 years (sharpened a few times - lol) - still my favorite. Fiskars make a good cutting shear as well. I have have a couple of different sizes of these (doesn't stay as sharp as long IMHO).

For special scissors, I have a pair of serrated Havels that are fantastic for trimming

http://www.havelssewing.com/serrated...els-30178.html

But these are not general cutting shears. I also have a "to die for" pair of 5" Spring Loaded Embroidery Snips w/ Lanyard that I wear around my neck (Erica's has these on line) for hand sewing and LAQ.

Hope this helps. Look for a 50% off coupon at JoAnns - or wait till they are on sale!

I use my Olfa rotary cutter for most cutting. I needed suggestions of brands that are good in general for cutting fabric.

I am so new to quilting...I should have said shears! Thank you so much for your information!!!

I use Ginghers, I love them. I do most of my cutting with a rotary cutter but when I have the need for shears Gingher is what I use. Cutting a piece of fabric with Ginghers is like cutting through air.

Don't cut anything but fabric/thread with your "good" shears regardless of what brand you get.

I agaree with NanSew. And if you want a small pair for cllipping threads at the sewing machine ask your favorite quilt store for a pair of quick clippers...they are great.

Ginghers are the best; but Fiskars aren't bad either.

I rarely use scissors for quilting. I use my rotary cutter and snippers..... and a ripper :(

The owner of one of my local quilt shops suggested the Kia scissors. I haven't bought one yet but they are a little cheaper than Gingher. She highly recommended them. Here is the website. She buys this kind now instead of Gingher.

www.kaiscissors.com

Vanessa

I purchased a Westcott Titanium scissors and it is guarteed to stay sharp for life and if it gets dull they will send you a replacement. The scissors cost $10.00 and well worth it.

I have a pair of gray KAI scissors (made in Japan) that I think I got in the 1980s. They cost over 30 dollars then and I threatened everybody with torture if they touched them, and I kept them hid all these years.
They have never been sharpened yet cuts any fabric cleanly and will probably last more years. I would love to have a small one of these but haven't gotten around to buying one. They are still advertised on the Internet.

I have Fiskars, I love them and they have a terrific warrenty. They are reasonably priced for a begginer like me

I like Gingher's, although I haven't tried the others recently mentioned. Fisker's are a good inexpensive brand, especially if kept only for sewing.

I am a Gingher Gal

Gingher would be my number one choice..Ive had to to sharpen my others already and the Ginghers are still cutting like a charm..

I love my Ginghers. Becareful not to buy them to big. If you can't open them the whole way, they are to big so go down a size.

I love my Elan brand scissors. I have a whoooooooole lotta scissors to choose from and they're the ones I pick up the most often. They're the black pair at the bottom of my avatar.

I must admit; that is the first step I've heard. I am a scissor and thimble collector (scissor hoarder my friend says). I have over 50 pairs of Gingher's scissors. Every time a new design comes out, my local quilt shop owner, a good friend, calls me and I look them up on the net, then go buy them. I try to get them on sale or with a coupon from JoAnn's, but alas, they become part of my collection. They are wonderful. The older ones I use for paper and tye a thread or put a dot of fingernail polish on them signaling 'paper scissors.' I do have fisckars, and a pair of Bohen, and some other off brands, but my Gingher's are my pride and joy. I have three pair of Roxanne Silver Thimbles, and I just 2 weeks purchased an antique thimble that is beautiful and useful...so now we know where Tracy's money goes!! Actually I get them as gifts for Christmas and Birthday's now. YeeeHaaa!!

Am I the only person who loves Mundial scissors? I actually found my first pair when I moved to an apartment and found a tin of sewing notions in a closet under the stairs. I still have them and they are as sharp as a razor! However since I am left handed, I bought the large and small Fiskars spring loaded scissors and absolutely love them! I use them constantly.

Whatever you do, don't get a pair that are too big for your hand. I got a pair of "fancy" Fiskars and I get a blister on my thumb every time I use them. Finally got a pair that the gals in JoAnn's that cut the fabric use. They swear by them and they're not expensive. (plus, they won't give you a blister!) I say they're fancy because they have soft handles and are supposed to be easier on your hands!

No, I LOVE my Mundial scissors!!! I also have several different types of Gingher scissors for different types of sewing.....machine embroidery, cross stitch, etc.

A good pair, no matter what the brand, will be pricey but well worth it :)

I'm also a Gingher Gal. Everyone in this house KNOWS not to touch my sewing scissors. Yes, they fear for their lives.
One of my sons got to go to the ER when he played with them and cut the tip of his finger. (only 3 stitches). That was 25 years ago and he still will ask if it's O.K. to use any of my scissors.

Ginghers and Kai are both excellent. Scissors are a bit like kitchen knives.
They have to be comfortable in your hands. If you can, try it first.

I have a pair of Ginghers that I really like - I got the lightweight ones with plastic handles, though, to be easier on my hands. I got them at Joanne Fabric with a 40% off coupon, too, so that really helped make them more affordable.

I love my Ginghers but the large Shears are so heavy. Then I got a smaller size and use them for almost everything fabric.

I have several pair of Kai Scissors - LOVE THEM! razor sharp!!

I'm a Gingher gal as well! I also bought the lighter ones w/the plastic handles as I have a bit of carpal tunnel in the wrist of my cutting hand. Nothing I have used cuts as smoothly as my Ginghers.

I have Ginghers, but I have to say, I have Fiskars that are just as nice!

I have a pair of Gingher scissors that my husband bought for me when I first started quilting. If I remember correctly, they cost around $36. This is terrible, but since they cost so much, I never use them and keep them put away. Isn't that awful? I need to get them out and use them.

Vanessa

Mundial's are awesome and inexpensive. You can get them at JoAnn's on sale/coupon, or I got a package at Rite-Aid of all places, with both 8" and 5" cushion gripped for $10.

Gingher's are GREAT! And I believe they are still 40% off at Joann's for the moment. That, their rotary cutters and the big Olfa mats. :) So At that savings I would say to get the Gingher dress shears and then a pair of their small embroidery scissors. That's just my opinion though. :)

Here's what I have and they are on a GREAT sale! :)

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/p...RODID=prd12802

http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/p...RODID=prd31916

So you'll be spending around $34 plus tax but it's a great deal for these scissors. :)

I still use my first pair of Fiskars, purchased in the early 70's when I sewed all my own clothes. They have never been sharpened and still are my first choice for fabric cutting. I have added other Fiskars as I find them on sale because I like to have several backups.

I like Kai for scissors and shears.

http://www.kaiscissors.com/category.php?category_id=50

I like Fiskars, they come in all sizes from nippers to shears. They also sell a small sharpener (I got mine from Amazon) that keeps them amazingly sharp. I even used it to rescue a pair of scissors that my mother in law used to cut ribbon with wire embeded in it.

I just bought a pair of Fiskar scissors that say they are the sharpest scissors around. I love them. They are a little more expensive than the regular Fiskars but well worth the money.

I have a pair of Ginghers that my parents gave me for Christmas when I was a teen, I'm 54 now. I have bought two more pair since then. I give them as gifts also.
They cost a bit, but Joanns has a sale on them every once in awhile. Or you can use one of their coupons, 40-50% off sometimes. Makes them more reasonable. If you can wait put them on your Christmas/birthday list. With the years of wear you get out of them, they are well worth the price.

Try on Ebay. I got some Ginghers very reasonably. You have to be patient & shop but it can be done.

I like my Ginghers. I have some little Gingher snips that my mother bought me about 40 years ago. They're still sharp as can be.

P. S. This website has good prices on sewing supplies:

http://www.jhittlesewing.com/sewing/catalog.php

I have 2 pairs of the Fiskars soft touch 8-inch scissors, and also the 4-inch soft touch. I find these easy to handle with my arthritic hands, and can be used either left or right handed. I also have several pairs that friends have given me - one pair was even gold plated, but it was too heavy. I was using Weiss scissors until they came up with the softtouch.