However, the same does not hold true when it comes to tools. I firmly believe that spending extra money for good quality tools is an investment that will pay off in the long run. This is one area where we never compromise quality to save a buck.
This week, I finally bit the bullet and coughed up the money to buy myself some new sewing scissors. Not just any scissors.....these are the Cadillac of sewing scissors and they cut through fabric like warm butter.
Aren't they dreamy?
They even come with a protective sheath.
I feel like it's a bit of a rite of passage to own a pair of scissors of this quality. It's been a LONG time coming, and I've paid my dues.
When I was a girl, I remember my mother teaching me to never use her "good" scissors to cut paper with. She only pulled them out of her sewing box to cut fabric or trim my hair in the back yard. I didn't see what the big deal was. One day, I couldn't find the junkie scissors, so I snuck into Mom's yellow sewing box and used her "good" scissors to cut a piece of poster board in half.
Boy was she mad when she caught me! She gave me a real tongue lashing.
Now that I sew and have kids of my own, I understand what all of the fuss was about. I had a pair of the best fabric scissors that Walmart sold (mediocre at best). On the handle, I wrote "FABRIC ONLY" in black marker. I gave my 3 kids the lecture about cutting paper. I thought I was safe.
My 8 year old daughter decided to cut a wire twisty tie with them several months ago and I nearly cried. Then I gave her a stern talking to and I felt like my mother. I guess my chickens came home to roost, so to speak.
The scissors would no longer cut fabric, and my girl learned a valuable lesson when she tried to use them at her sewing class. They were worthless.
I've been dreaming of my new scissors for months now. I saw them at the fabric store in the big city, but couldn't bring myself to spend the money. When it comes to a big purchase, I always have to sleep on it. After all, they cost three or four times more than anything at Walmart. They finally went on sale, and with an additional store coupon, I got them for a whopping 40% off!!! WOOHOOO!!!
I've considered locking them up in a safe to protect them from any impulsive lack of judgement on the part of my children, but instead I decided to give them a solemn speech about the "Wrath of Mom" if any of them so much as puts a fingerprint on them.
I think many women have memories of their mother's "good" scissors. We all learned that it's best not to mess with Mom's tools.
Posts
Are not Gingers just the best. I lost my mother a little over a year ago and dad sent me home one day with moms. Boy it seems so nice to have a good pair to cut my material with.
ReplyDeleteI really had to lecture my better half though. He is the one that always would grab my scissors out of the sewing desk and use on paper. I threatened bodily harm if he got these. Am keeping them right in the box so he does not see them .
Karan
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI learned about your blog while reading the blog A Joyful Chaos.
Those of us who sew all know how important our scissors are. A couple of years ago, while visiting my sister, I was working on a project and only had her Wal-Mart special $1.96 scissors to use. They were awful and I promptly bought my sister a nice pair of scissors as soon as I got back home. She was amazed at the difference when she used them for the first time!
In my home, in order to keep my good scissors from falling into the wrong hands, I keep several pairs of “cheap” scissors located throughout the house. I also like to tie a piece of string to the handle and everyone knows to only use the scissors with the “string”. This system has worked very well over the years.