Scissors are probably the most important tool—aside from your fingers—for fabric collage. When I am working on a collage, my scissors are like an extra appendage, and I use them for more than just cutting. I poke and prod with them, I lift the edges of fabrics so I can slide others underneath, I use them to nudge stubborn pieces into place.
I’ve given a lot of thought to scissors. Even though I still use the same brand and style I first used more than three decades ago, I’ve tried lots of scissors and have learned from the experiences of my students.
My conclusion is that there is no one best pair of scissors for fabric collage.
That said, there are some attributes that are obviously important. Of course they should cut cleanly and accurately. And they should also be comfortable in your hand, not just for a quick cut but for long hours of work.
Scissors are pointy by design, but that pointy-ness can work against you in a very particular instance in fabric collage. When placing fabric pieces onto your foundation fabric, many (if not most) will extend beyond the drawn line of your design. Many times you will want to trim away the stragglers using the line as a trimming guide.
When cutting to the line with pointy scissors, the bottom blade will sometimes poke into and catch on the foundation fabric. Scissors with a curved lower blade will glide along the line and foundation fabric, below, making cutting easier and more accurate.
Top Tip:
Scissors with a bottom blade that curves slightly upward are more versatile for fabric collage.
In the photo of my scissors below, you can see that the lower blade has a slight upward curve.
Cutting to Your Drawn Design
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