I would like to buy my daughter in law a pair of scissors for Christmas... any suggestions as to what is best. Joann's has a wonderful sale right now. My DIL is not a quilter... more of a crafter and seamstress at this point... Any help is greatly appreciated. Quilter 1234

Ginghers are wonderful.

There are so many models available - what do you think she would be cutting?

(They work well on paper, too, if she does a lot of scrap-booking -but most people CRINGE at the idea of a Gingher touching paper)

For snipping threads, I'm now using nail scissors.

Ginghers are the best, but then I've never met a scissor I didn't like. I have about 200 pairs.

I know this won't help --- but I like my scissors that my grandmother bought over 60 yrs ago --- from Germany. They're STILL good!

DH bought me a new pair of Gingher scissors a couple years ago-they ones with the gold handle. I love them. I had Mundial before that and they were great too. The Mundials needed to be sharpened though, and I don't know where to take them. The last time I had it done, they came back the same as how I sent them (I think it was a barber shop that time).

another vote for Gingher scissors
go for a pair that are comfortable to use

I've seen signs at JoAnns about knife/scissor sharpening on certain date. Call you local JoAnns & ask if they have this service.

I'm still using my Ginghar sewing scissors from the 60's. I think my small scissors for snipping threads while quilting & cupping applique pieces with Steam n' Seam attached is a Mundal.

A total Gingher fan here. I have the pinking shears and Julia 8" knife edge dressmaker's shears and I LOVE them. Also have multiple pairs of Mundials which are very comfortable for me to use too.

Ours quit having those. :( They have business cards for someone who sharpens but I haven't tried them out. I got gun shy after the barber thing.

I vote for Gingher too - I have the ones with larger finger and thumb holes, because I have big hands, and it's lovely to have the option.

Before that, I always bought Fiskars, but was never able to find anywhere to get them sharpened, and they only seemed to stay sharp for a year or two.

When I looked at the Gingher site (a couple of years ago) they strongly suggested sending them to Gingher for sharpening.

I should have asked, is there a size you would suggest for a "first good scissors"? Thanks Quilter 1234

Depends on what you are using them for. I seem to use mostly the smaller size for snipping & applique cutting. Rotary cutter has replaced use of larger Ginghars pretty much.

I like Ginghers too. They make a number of different styles, and I like all the ones I have gotten. A good first pair would probably be a basic 8 in. type. The Ginghers I use for sewing only. I don't know about what would be best for crafting. Have you looked at Michael's? Even the basic orange-handled scissors have worked well for me.

i'm quite happy with my $2 imitation fiskars. they work well for any task. the best part? when my evil twin loses a pair i don't have to choke her. :lol:

For a good pair of not expensive scissors see if you can find the Elan brand. They're extremely good for things like silk and satin because they have a serrated edge. I've seen three different styles of the Elan scissors. I have the large size and the small embroidery size and love them. Ginghers are good but they can be ruined fairly easy.

I have sent Ginghers back that a child got ahold of and used improperly and they returned them like new and it was very reasonable. Most of my Ginghers are twenty five to thirty years old and were made in Germany. Don't know about the newer ones.

I love Ginghers but the larger pair are quite heavy, so my favorite pair is the 5"

Around here my favorite is SHARP ones! Can't keep people from using them incorrectly!

Having said that....I have a very old pair of Belding Corticelli and they are still amazing. I'm not sure the company even exists. I've had them about 40 years.

Gingher are good and I really don't have any complaints about Fiskars. That is what we used in our drapery business and they lasted for many many years.

Ginghers are the way to go! You won't be sorry.

I use Wiss and Mundial. I have 2 pairs for cutting fabric (one for lightweight fabric and the other is for heavier fabrics), a several pairs for snipping thread and another pair that is general purpose. None of them ever touch paper. I have 2 pairs of pinking shears now. And a rotary cutter.

What she said. Dressmaking shears (7 or 8 inch?) are a good first pair size for a beginning sewer. My Ginghers were given their first resharpening after 18 years this last year. I can't argue with that kind of service.

I was looking at my "hardware" and realized my hubby has gifted me with several different pairs of ginghers over the last 15 years. At my house, that says something. He believes quality tools make quality products. Of course, that might explain those woodworking tools in the garage...

Ginghers dressmaker shears -- received them from Minnestota Fabrics as a Christmas gift back in 1979 when I was employed there. I still use them and absolutely LOVE them!!! I've only had them sharpened one time, and that was simply because my ex was taking a load of knives to have them all sharpened and asked if I had any scissors I wanted him to take along.

I have a pair of Marks pinking shears that I use to cut the edge of my fabrics to keep them from fraying before I put them in the washing machine. They are also from back-in-the-day at Minn Fab. It is very easy for me to tell if I have washed the fabric -- just look for the pinked edge.

For embroidery scissors I use Mundial, and for snipping threads I use Fiskars. Gee, that's quite an assortment isn't it? :roll:

I'm another Gingher lover!

For "general purpose/scrapping/crafting," I'd go with the 5". The blade is still a reasonable length, and I find the fingers to be more comfortable than my 4" ones.

If she doesn't need the longer blade, I wouldn't go with the 8". They are heavier, and don't get into tight spots as well as a smaller scissor. Love my 8" for fabric, though.

I love my Gingher. I used a gift card from Christmas and the 40% off.

I really dislike Ginghers; Fiskars are my favorites.

I have several unused ginghers in various sizes which I'll put up for sale here one of these days.

Fiskars are good scissors and they are much more reasonable than Ginghers. I just bought a variety pack of five for $14.99 Canadian at Len's Mills. This combo pack would give her a chance to try out some of the various styles and sizes without breaking your budget. It included 7" shears, hinged ones that pull apart, snips, embroidery scissors and a small multi purpose pair. Happy snipping!

I'm also a Gingher fan! I have several pairs of different styles of Gingher scissors. I got some great deals on ebay--you just have to watch for a good price. I bought all of mine from there, and got most them for about a third of the price I would have paid locally, even on sale. All of them I got were new in the package. It takes patience to find good deals like that, but it really paid off. :-D

Ginghers gal here all the way... Best I ever used and stay sharp longer than my others that are now sitting in my drawer..

Is scrapping somthing other than cutting fabric? :shock: My ginghers are only allowed to touch fabric. I use a less expensive scissor for most of my crafting but since that usually involves wires and soldering irons I think you can guess why. :-)

A friend introduced me to Kai scissors, and I bought them online in several different sizes. I've also seen them at quilt shows. They're great!

I think she's talking about scrapbooking, so cutting paper.

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I've never seen that term used for anything other than in a professional capacity. I had visions of cutting leftover pieces of fabric into smaller pieces. :oops: Isn't it amazing how a little terminology can trip you up?

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THEN SOME, RIGHT??????? I hear you, Olivia's Grammy, just don't use my GOOD ONES FOR PAPER, mgghgh-h-gh-gh-! RIGHT? Kathy sfire55

Right.I stopped counting at 200. I have about 10 pairs just for paper and crafts. The have a ribbon on the handle so everyone know which is which.

I love my Ginger scissors, but the ones I use most often are my little Fiskars with the orange handles.

If she does paper crafts, I highly recommend Cutter Bee's scissors. They are available at craft stores and some Walmarts. Super sharp...great for small paper projects.

I'm also in the process of researching fabric scissors so this post helped me out a lot!

Michelle

I'm a gingher girl! Have had one pair for over 40 years and have only had to have them sharpened 2x, of course they never cut anything but cloth.

I use the friskers, and they work pretty good. I would love to try some Ginghers though, afte reading this!

for anything sewing related I use ginghers of various sizes but for anything with my scrapbooking I use the small Elan brand...the small ones with the wide finger openings are awesome for scrapping :)