Period scissors

[bluebellybugleboy]

Pards:
well I'm back and everything and I have a few new questions for all you guys It's on period scissors . our family was taking photo's for christmas and while mum and dad where getting them detailed , i wandered on over to johann fabrics . there I looked around for just plain material to make a poke sack with or the such . I came across a pair of very nice looking scissors I looked at them more closely and noticed that they had a type of crane or other bird on the handle and it looked like it might be period if i can find a picture of it I'll put it on here . just wondering

[Spinster]

Alas, the ubiquitous "stork scissors" are not, to my understanding, a period design. One sees them quite often in embrodiery shops, mainstream sutlers, and reenactor sewing baskets--and they seem to be just as much a "reenactorism" as women and children on the company street.

[ElizabethClark]

I'll go bath through some sewing item references, but the crane/stork design may not be out of period, actually. There are several "fanciful" designs that might legitimately be used.

However, if one is standing in front of the stork/crane scissor display, look slightly to the right or left--there will likely be a simple version of small scissors, with a light scrolly ornament at the base of the finger holes. That one works very nicely in any small needlework kit.

Small scissors of this nature are for small tasks. These are not scissors for cutting out items! Rather, they are for trimming threads, snipping at embroidery work, etc.

One other caveat: those really rough "pruning shear" kind of black iron scissors sold at many events are not what you want--they're incredibly low quality. A good pair of standard Gingher shears will be nearly identical to the dressmaking shear of the time; tailor's shears are positively huge, and make large cuts at one swath.

A well-fitted sewing box will have cutting shears, small scissors for trimming, and possibly even small specialty scissors, if one is a needlework devotee.

[bluebellybugleboy]

pards:

well I just wanted to ask.