Shop Scissors Blog

Make a Paisley Scarf

Looking for something new to wear on New Year’s to spice up your wardrobe? Why not make a paisley scarf? These scarves gained popularity in the mid-19^th century have never lost their appeal.

You will need…

• Scissors
• Rotary cutter
• Paisley silk charmeuse, about ¼ yard
• Cotton batting
• Cashmere
• Disappearing-ink pen
• Pins
• Iron

1. Using your rotary cutter, cut the silk into an 8-by-36-inch piece. Cut the cotton batting and cashmere to the same size. Lay the fabric on top of one another, with the cashmere face up, the silk face down on top of it, and the cotton batting over the silk. Pin all three fabrics together.
2. Leaving one short side open, sew around three sides using a ½-inch seam allowance. Clip the corners with the scissors or rotary cutter and turn the scarf fight side out. Use your iron on a low setting to carefully press the seams flat and press in the seam on the end that is open.
3. Use the disappearing-ink pen to mark a 3-inch long line approximately five inches from the end of your scarf, that will serve as the buttonhole. Sew along the side of the line using a tight zigzag stitch on your sewing machine. When you reach the end of the line, leave the needle in the fabric, lift the foot and turn the fabric. As you start sewing, overlap your stitch so it overlaps the line you have just sewn and sew along the other side of the line. Overlap your stitches again at the end.
4. Use your rotary cutter to cut down the center of the buttonhole, being careful not to cut the threads at either end, where they overlap.
5. Using a needle and thread, hand-sew the open end shut.

Cookie Apron for a Cookie Decorating Party

Spend some quality time with your kids in the kitchen this holiday season or invite all their friends to join in on this deliciously-themed party. A cookie decorating party is perfect for occupying your kids during the holiday season and will leave you with plenty of treats for friends and family for New Year’s. Looking for ways to add to the party? Try making a monogrammed cookie apron for all your guests…or at least for your kids.

Don’t think that you need to go out and purchase an expensive apron to create this fun craft. Simply fold back the corners of a dish towel, iron the creases, trim and turn down twice to sew the hem, and sew on ribbons for ties at the neck and waist.

To make the monogrammed cookie, complete with frosted sprinkles…

1. Draw the letter-shaped “cookie” (with rounded corners to make it look more like a cookie) backwards onto the non-adhesive side of an iron-on adhesive sheet, using permanent marker.
2. Apply the iron-on adhesive to the back of light brown fabric, following the directions that come with the iron-on material.
3. When your “cookie” letter has cooled, cut out the letter the Fiskars scissors and iron it on to the front of your apron.
4. Draw edges on the “cookie” with puff paint to mimic the appearance of frosting.
5. Sew on beads to provide the appearance of sprinkles.

For more crafts or to purchase Fiskars scissors, visit us at ShopScissors.com.

Create a Winter Wonderland with Paper Snowflakes

Even though the Christmas holiday may be behind us, the kids are still home and the holiday is still in full swing with New Year’s just around the corner. For this reason, you may be looking for a few non-Christmas-related crafts to occupy your kids while they are stuck inside out of the cold. As you are taking down the Christmas décor, have your kids create a bunch of these simple paper snowflakes that you can hang from your ceiling or fireplace mantle.

You will need…

• 8 ½ by 11-inch sheet of paper
• Stapler
• Scissors or pinking shears
• Hole punch
• Clear tape

1. Fold the paper in half lengthwise and cut at the fold.
2. Take one of the pieces and, starting at one short end, fold the paper in ½-inch folds like a fan. Staple the fan in the middle.
3. Decorate the ends of the fan, soon to be snowflake, by using the scissors or pinking shears to trim both ends. Use the hole punch to create a design all across the folds of the fan.
4. When you are finished decorating the fan with holes and the decorative design on the outside, unfold the fan and tape the edges together to secure it open into the round snowflake.

Create a New Year's Eve Centerpiece

Well, Christmas is officially behind us and New Year’s eve is closing in fast, officially ending the holiday season. If you have elected to stay in with friends this year you may be contemplating decorations. While it may be cold outside (at least for the part of the country experiencing unseasonably warm weather), you can never go wrong when you choose to decorate with fresh flowers.

Flowers don’t need to be expensive, although you may want to steer clear of wildflowers and select something like roses or even lilies. However, instead of your usual vases from the cabinet, use a bucket to hold the flowers and illuminate it on either side with candles. Party ribbon tendrils and glitter will add the perfect touch to make your centerpiece sparkle, especially on a dark tablecloth.

For more holiday decorating ideas or to purchase a pair of floral scissors to use for your arrangement, visit us at ShopScissors.com.

Merry Christmas!

From the entire staff at

ShopScissors...

Feature Friday: Sewing Scissors Gift Set

Looking for a great gift for the seamstress in your life? Consider the Clauss Goldline Gift Box Set. This beautiful gift set includes three pair of beautifully designed scissors, including Stork Bows, 3.5” Lions Tail Bows and 4” Straight Blade scissors. Each pair features the 24K gold-plated bows and shanks of fine cutlery steel.

The recipient will be able to easily perform delicate cutting and trimming without any fear of damaging the fabric thanks to the thin, sharp points. They are ideal for monogram work, appliqué and intricate trimming.

While the scissors, themselves, are beautiful, the same can be said of the box in which they are encased. This exquisite wooden case is lined with black velvet to keep your delicate scissors safe from damage. The scissors and case will be the perfect addition to anyone’s sewing collection.

For more information or to purchase this gift set, visit us online at ShopScissors.com.

Make Old Fashioned Hard Candy

Today is the first day of winter…a fact that I realize many will find amusing, since many states have been experiencing snow and ice for some time. However, with it cold outside and the kids out of school for the holidays, it’s the perfect day for making some old fashioned hard candy. Many people have memories of cutting candy when they were children, yet this much-loved tradition has been experienced by few of our youth today. It is also a great treat to add to your desert table on Christmas Day, just a few days away.

You will need…

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup light corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 drop red food coloring
• 1/8 cup confectioners’ sugar

1. Combine the sugar, water and corn syrup in a quart saucepan and cook, stiring until the sugar is dissolved. When the sugar has fully dissolved, lower the heat until it has reached the hard crack stage, which is 300 degrees Fahrenheit. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, simply use a damp brush to wipe them away.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the oil flavoring and enough coloring to change the color of your candy. Stir the mixture just enough to fully mix the oil and food coloring. Pour the liquid candy onto 2 well-buttered 9-inch pans. If you have another adult helping you, you can cut both pans of candy at the same time, otherwise you will need to place one of the pans over a pan of hot water to keep it from hardening. As soon as the other pan is cool enough to handle without burning yourself, cut a pair of kitchen shears to cut the candy into 1-inch strips, and then cut those strips into individual pieces. Drop each piece onto a buttered baking sheet to fully cool. You will need to work quickly so the candy will be pliable for cutting. If it does cool too quickly, you can set it on a saucepan over hot water.
3. Sprinkle your candy with a small amount of powdered sugar to keep it from sticking together.
4. Repeat the process with the second pan.

Holiday Felt Wine Bottle Covers

Planning on giving the traditional bottle of wine for Christmas this year? Consider dressing it up with these fun bottle covers! This bottle covers will add extra holiday cheer without taking up any significant time, leaving you with plenty of time leftover to prepare for any plans with family and friends.

You will need…

• Tree template one or two
• ½ yard of felt
• Pins
• Sewing machine or thread
• Pencil
• Pinking shears or regular fabric shears
• Decorative embellishments like rhinestones or small bells
• Fabric glue
• Wine bottle

1. Download and print out one of the tree templates.
2. Pin together the two pieces of felt. (This will allow you to cut both halves of the tree at the same time). Place the tree template on top of the felt and trace it on.
3. Sew the sides of the tree together, leaving the bottom upon for placing it over the top of your bottle.
4. Use the shears to cut out the tree.
5. Use fabric glue to decorate your tree with any decorations you have picked up.
6. Place it over the tree and voila! You have your beautifully decorated bottle. The recipients of the gift will love the extra touch and your gift will be guaranteed to stand out among the others.

Lump of Coal Gift Box

Looking for a fun, unique way to treat your “someone special” this Christmas? What about giving them a lump of coal…with a little surprise inside? These sparkling nuggets are no ordinary lumps of coal, but are actually gift boxes embellished with paint, paper and a lot of glitter. The faux-coal gifts are perfect for small gifts like earrings or a rolled up tie. Work alone or with your kids to easily create this fun gift box and surprise your spouse or significant other.

You will need…

• A small cardboard box – almost any shape will work
• Black tempera paint
• Small paintbrush
• Heavyweight black card stock
• Crepe masking tape
• Scissors
• Fabric stiffener
• Craft glue
• Black glitter

1. Use the black tempera paint to paint your cardboard box.
2. Tear off a piece of heavyweight black card stock and crumple it up.
3. Attach it to the lid of the back with the masking tape.
4. Continue to add scraps of card stock, tearing, taping and pressing into place. When you finish the top of the lid should feel firm and he surface should be jagged (like coal).
5. Use the fabric stiffener to fully saturate a piece of black construction paper. When it is soaked through, remove it and smooth it over the lid, pressing it so that it conforms to the shape of the jagged edges underneath and trimming the edges.
6. Leave it to dry fully. It should only take about 1 ½ hours.
7. Brush the lid with craft glue and sprinkle it with black glitter.
8. To create the stocking tag, print the stocking template and trace it onto red card stock. Cut out the stocking and use a white gel-ink pen to decorate it.
9. Punch a small hold in one corner and thread baker’s twine through. Tie the thread around the coal box.

Teaching Left Handed Children

With only approximately 10-15% of the population favoring a left hand, you may be surprised to discover that your own child is left-handed. It’s important to keep this in mind when teaching your child gross motor and fine motor skills, as there are a few special points to consider.

One of the most important things to remember is that if your child appears to be favoring a left hand, you should let them. If you force a child to use his right hand when he appears to be left hand dominant, you will diminish his overall coordination and he will always struggle to complete tasks with his right hand, when they could have been easily completed with the left. Check out these tips for teaching your left-handed child.

1. Teach the proper grip for pencils. The grip is the same for right- and left-handed children, but to be able to see what they are writing, it is best to direct them to hold the pencil slightly further back, approximately 1 to 1.5 inches from the point. This will also help them to avoid smearing the text as their hand drags over the letters.
2. Substitute pens for pencils. This will make it easier for the child to write, as it will reduce the tendency for smudging.
3. Invest in left-handed scissors.  Left-handed scissors have blades and finger loops that are positions opposite those of right-handed scissors. A pair of true left-handed scissors will allow the child to hold the scissors more comfortable and see where he is cutting. These scissors will also cut more accurately, as the pressure will be correctly applied to press the blades together as they cut, and will be less likely to rip the paper.
4. Tell your child he is left-handed. Most children have no idea if they are right- or left-handed. It’s important that the child is aware to let a teacher or physical education instructor know they are left handed so the teacher will demonstrate the paper form from a left-handed approach.
5. Experimentation. When your child is learning gross motor activities, it’s important to allow him the freedom to experiment with whatever feels comfortable. Even if he is left-handed, there are certain activities that may feel most comfortable using the right hand. Some children don’t demonstrate a clear preference for one hand or the other until the age of 5 or 6, so this period of experimentation with what feels comfortable is extremely important.

To purchase a pair of left-handed scissors, visit us at ShopScissors.com.