Scissors and books and excuses, oh my!

Yes, I've been scarce.  Many good excuses I won't bore you with.  But, new scissors and books found a home with me! And they are all so different.  Bunching them together like this really shows the diversity in the needlework world that can be found if you care to look.

New Gingher Alicia!

I love the blues so couldn't resist.  You can't really see it in this photo, but the design on the blue background appears to be tiny little peacock feathers.  The Alicias are resting on the completed half of a new piece I'm working of my kids' hands.  If I ever finish the second half (and I must, before my son's hand grows much more) I will do a real post showing off both.  Someday!

And pretty little dovo gold handle scallops. 

Aren't they sweet?  They are resting on one of my new book acquisitions, Scandinavian Needlecraft by Claire Young. 

I love the simple elegance of the Scandinavian folk art-inspired projects in this book!  Some of the embroidered felt swedish horses may make in onto the Christmas tree this year.  Or these charming stockings onto the mantel:

My other two new books, Makoto's Cross-Stitch Super Collection and Drawn to Stitch could not be more different.  Probably the only thing they have in common is that cotton fibers are frequently used.

Makoto's Cross-stitch Super Collection by Makoto Oozu is chock-full of quick little cross stitch motifs.  Many are very non-traditional and quirky, like insects, robots, space creatures, electronic gadgets, and other fun stuff like that.  My daughter quickly declared it one of her favorites and wants some of the brightly colored little dinosaurs and monsters stitched on everything, she says.

Drawn to Stitch: Line, Drawing and Mark-Making in Textile Art by Gwen Hedley is 180 degrees in the opposite direction.  It is full of ideas for the experimental and artistic end of the stitching landscape, using a variety of techniques including resists, transfers, and printing in addition to stiches to explore "innovative uses of line".  Now, I am not a trained artist, nor do I have the resources to explore many of these techniques, but reading this type of book does help get my creative juices flowing.  This page alone, I think may have blown my mind a little:

Those beige squiggles, were stitched using padding and wrapping techniques with fibers of different weights, to imitate worm casts in a rock.  Amazing!  Many of the pieces shown in this book were inspired by rocks or landscapes or even things like eroded walls, so this was a title I had to have.  Gorgeous.  Now if I could only find a little more time for the inspiration to carry through into execution.

New Dovo and Kai scissors reviewed

I bought these a few weeks ago now, but looking through my photos I realized I forgot to post them!  I went to the big sewing expo over my birthday weekend and I found these:

Gorgeous, right?  They are super-pretty 5" Deco-style Dovos.  The show special made them a steal compared to many Dovos.  The ladies at the booth I bought them from said they were being discontinued, but it became pretty obvious pretty fast that I know more about the brand than they did when they asked me what all the different kinds are used for.  Hmm.  Anyway I've already tried these out to cut some small applique pieces for a landscape quilt I'm working on and they give a wonderful swooshy snip.

Also, these blunt-end Kai embroidery scissors. 

I've posted about the almost surgically sharp blade of their standard embroidery scissors.  They are fantastically sharp, so much so I'm almost afraid to use them, especially with the kids around, so I was pleased to see their blunt nose model. 

The standard super-sharp Kai embroidery blades are on the left, and the blunt is on the right.  They are lightweight, inexpensive (under $15) and came with a free lanyard as the show special, so I think these are going to be my new go-to travel scissors. 

Scissors on Display

When I was at Michaels Crafts the other day buying the shadowbox frame for the forest, I also bought a "Collector's Case" for display of some of my pretty scissors that I don't often use.  The case is similar to this one available on Michaels.com, but a different size and color.  It looks like this model is not available on the Michaels website.

Open:

Closed:

The scissors are just held in place with a few pins.  Martha Stewart says any collection can look great as a display, I think she's right.  About that part, at least.

New scissors -- Stocking Stuffers from Santa

Santa Claus knows what I like. 

This cute, shiny little bunny pair is Italian-made, sold under the "Tooltron" name.  I suspect I know how much Santa paid for these and I must say I am pleasantly surprised by the quality, they are a good value for the price (around $10).  The blades have a satisfying smooth snip and the polish on that bunny is perfect.

Sitting next to the perfectly polished rabbit pair, this Mundial Chanticleer pair looks a little dull, and the action is a little stiff.  But on their own, they are rather charming!  I suspect this pair will be one that gets put in the collection, but is not going to be a "go-to" pair for actual use.  Cute, though! 

 

New Scissors - Storklettes

My favorite camera has been repaired and returned to me, oh happy day!  In celebration I took pictures of scissors.

Look at these little cuties.  New little "Storklette" scissors in gold by Kelmscott.  Shown with a 3.5-inch standard size pair of stork scissors for comparison.  These little guys are so cute, and that's what they are made for.  The little blades are not really for cutting.

And the simplest, plainest pair of Dovo scissors you'll ever see.

Not fancy, but they are perfect.  *snip*

New scissors- Pretty fancy?

The scissors I won from the eBay auction I showed on my new phone the other day arrived already!

Aren't they pretty?

These are the same mystery "Nogent" variety as the two birds scissors from this post.  According to the eBay seller, both pairs are Nogents by Claude Daugin...Which I've since learned are very expensive...so I guess either I got a screaming deal, these are either Daugin's budget line (if there is such a thing), or these are good knock-offs.  This particular pair looks identical, except for color and maybe the interior edges less well polished, to the "Dentelle" pair  listed at Silent Stitches, but I got it for less than 1/4 the price.   In any case these are lovely and have a wonderful action, so even though I have a question as to whether they are authentic, I've spent more money for less quality before and don't feel too bad about it. 

But when you think about it, black-market counterfit name-brand scissors don't strike me as lucrative as say, fake Prada bags, and not something I would expect, you know?

Oh well, someday I'll have to get a for sure authentic pair of Nogents and compare, heh heh.

My Scissors - Primitives

Bet you thought I'd finished with the scissors, heh heh.  "Primitive" style!

WIP: Carriage House Samplings "Frederick" with HDF silks on recommended linen

Plus you can see Frederick up there finally has a head.  Whoo hoo!

First, on the left, are 4.25-inch 18th cent reproductions from Cheswick Company.  I love the way this style looks with primitive style samplers like Fred here.  They are very solid and different in feel from most modern embroidery scissors, the blades are thick and obviously not intended for very fine work, but they do cut cleanly.   

The other pair was manufactured by Tamsco, I am a sucker for gunmetal finishes.  I primarily bought these to look at amongst the others in the collection, but in use they are a decent pair of all-around snippers. Could do with a tiny spot of oil in the action.

Both pairs are around $10, and while they are not the top of the line they are very photogenic, don't you think?

My Scissors -- Feathered Friends

Today: scissors decorated with wings and birds. 

Right to left, these are Sullivan's Scissors "Wing" style in copper finish, Mundial's 3.5 inch stork, and Nogent scissors embossed with two birds.

First up, Sullivan's Scissors "Wing" style in copper:

 These are lovely and quite a substantial weight.  The blades are not fine but they cut well, and they also go so perfectly with that Chatelaine "Autumn Watergarden" WIP.

Mundial 3.5 stork:

These are inexpensive and not hard to find, but I love the fine little blades and the two-toned wings.  One of my go-to pairs of scissors.

Nogent two birds, these need the close-up:

Pretty, huh?  I bought these for $15 on E-bay several months ago and don't know very much about them.  They are marked "Nogent", a French maker, but I haven't been able to find them elsewhere on the internet.  The blades are fine, though and the action is very smooth, so I think I got my money's worth. 

My Scissors -- Sentimental Favorites

These two little dears are nothing super spectacular...except that they were last year's birthday gifts from my two favorite little people.

The boy picked out the blue ones on the left, which are very sturdy little 3-inch "Blooms" brand scissors with titanium blades.  Actually very nice travel scissors.  And the girl (of course) picked out the little pink Kelmscott "Little Gems" on the right.  They don't cut worth a darn but they are very very cute!

And the two of them even managed to pick out colors that matched the pieces I had recently done for them!  (They may have had daddy's help.) 



Finish: Arelate Studio "Ferocious Beastie" for Lena



I mean, just look at these faces.  How could they not do a great job?

My Scissors -- New and mysterious

Happy Monday morning everyone!

Look what arrived in Friday's mail:

These are so fine and I am glad I finally sprang for them.  Wasa Solingen 3 1/4 inch in a style Silent Stitches calls "Ada".  Sharp tips, well balanced, great "feel" my new favorites. 

Now these are a mystery.  My grandmother gave me boxes and boxes of her old stitching stuff last year, and these little scissors were among the goodies inside. 

I've done a little Googling and it seems that Hainlin & Co on the sleeve is a store in Germany, but I can't find out anything about those little scissors themselves.  They are small and sharp, about 2.75" long, and the maker mark looks like a grimacing face or something with a needle in the mouth.  There is a word printed under the face but it is hard to read, might be "werklass"? 

I don't know but I suspect Grandma picked them up on one of her many travels through Europe in the 1980s, but I could be way off.  They might just have been a freebie the store was giving away but they seem decent quality. Anyone have any idea?

My Scissors -- from Italy!

Ackk I just finished this whole post and then Blogger ate it so I'm doing it over.  Happy Friday anyway, everyone!

I have two pairs of Italian-made scissors.  This first pair is one of my favorites to look at-  I love the rubbed black finish that shows through silver in the high areas, and I love the hook-style handles. This style handles suits me well since I usually put my thumb and middle fingers through handle loops and steady the blade with my index finger, rather than put my thumb and index finger through the handles. 

The one thing I do not like about this pair is that the action is not as smooth as I would like.  I fix this somewhat by putting a tiny dot of sewing machine oil near the screw, but of course then I must be careful oil doesn't get on my fabric or threads.  Oh well.  I am careful and I enjoy these enough to use them anyway.

My other Italian pair is by Premax, the 4.25-inch ring-lock pair, and aren't these space-age?

These have a perfect brushed steel finish and that smooth action the first pair is missing.  SWOOSH.  Also, they are made in the village of Premana, Italy, which is near Lake Como, which is where George Clooney lives.  So, these also have a touch of Hollywood glamour, haha!

Next time-  grab bag!

My Scissors -- From Japan

These are so pretty.  And I started another sampler of sorts, too, a couple days ago.   Ink Circles "Alchemical Romance"...it was 10/10/10 and if that's not a reason for a new start I don't know what is. 

But OK so this might be cheating a bit.  I bought these lovelies from someone in Japan, but they have no maker marks so I don't really know where they are from. 

They are both fairly large and blunt and not good for very fine work.  Very pretty though and it's ok, I have another pair from Japan that is super-great for the fine stuff.  Meet Kai Scissors:

Yes, for the safety of myself and others, they normally hang around with that point protector on.  These suckers are not that pretty but they are by far the SHARPEST scissors I own.  Let's take a closer look.

Yikes!  If you are doing fine cutwork, you should maybe know about these.  Specifically, they are Kai's 4-inch straight blades for needlework.  They also make curved, bent, and blunt 4-inch needlework scissors, and I've also heard great things about Kai's shears and other larger blades for a variety of uses, but I haven't invested in any of them, yet.

Next time:  Italian scissors (and that won't be the last of them, either...)

More scissors -- Lift N Snips

Lightweight little Lift n Snips. 

Great to slide into the project bag because they are inexpensive, and the blades are very short and blunt so they are airplane-safe.  At least, I haven't had a problem...of course there is no gaurantee what your TSA agent will think.

I only have two of these, but I think there are only two models anyway-- straight and curved blades.  Both also have one blade with a small hook-shape blade, which you can slide under a thread to slip it close without knicking any other threads. 
Hard to explain maybe but easy to show:

Anyway I like them both about the same.  The curved blade ones are newer, so have smoother action, and are finer all-around.  It's good these scissors are inexpensive, because they don't seem to stay sharp as long as some other brands-- I think that little hook is probably the culprit there, I suspect it's hard to sharpen and gets a lot of use always at the same point on the blade. 

Next time: Japanese snippers...

My scissors -- The Dovos!

Continuing where I left off yesterday.  I have a small but growing set of Dovo scissors for Solingen, Germany.  My dear husband shares my love of perfect tools (of course his tend to be larger, more expensive, and used on wood) so these are all gifts from him.  I've told him that anytime he needs to find a gift for me, *any* Dovo scissor would always be welcome! 

Dovo scissors are spendy, but so well engineered and perfectly finished that they are a dream to use.

Right to left:

1.  5-inch scissor, these have the most fabulous swooshing action when you close them.  A little too large for most embroidery uses, but they are perfect for trimming fabric when trimming light applique fabrics or finishing those small pieces or ornaments.
2.  4-inch embroidery scissors, pewter finish.  Just a wonderful all-around pair for needlework.  Fine blades that are perfectly matched and honed.
3.  2  7/8-inch small gold-finish scissors.  These are tiny but great for those small spaces (I've used them more than I want to admit ripping out the small stitches on 40-ct Metta, already).  They are really well designed and have a great balance so the action is a lot more like standard-size embroidery scissors than most "minis".

Tomorrow:  Lift-n-snips

My scissors -- the Ginghers

It is no secret that I love embroidery scissors.  I'm starting to amass a fair and growing collection.  I love that they have so much variety and that the variety can be purely decorative, or it can mean the perfect design for very specific applications.

I also love matching a pretty pair to a lovely project.

Completed Primitive Traditions' 'Abigail Colby' workbasket and fob. 

In general I like Ginghers because even the specialty pairs are relatively easy to obtain and are good quality for the price.  Quality does vary of course from the "budget" models to the collectors series, but I've never had a pair that didn't give a good snip.   My collection of Gingher embroidery scissors (the ones easily accessible when I took the picture anyway):

These 5 pairs, top to bottom:
1.  "Mia" -  Designer Series, limited-edition 4-inch scissors.  I confess to having purchased these just because of the pretty tartan pattern on the handles.  My heritage is part Scot so I could not pass them up!  Other than that, they are a good all-around scissor.
2.  Epaulette - 3.5-inch gold color scissors.  This is one of Gingher's standard pairs, available at craft stores everywhere, but it really is a good quality little scissor.  This pair was a gift from my grandmother and looks so pretty with the workbasket above!
3.  Large-hole 4-inch standard scissor.  Another one easily found at craft stores.  I do not have large fingers, but sometimes it's nice to have a little extra wiggle room.  This pair has a nice weight in the hand and gives a satisfying snip, and lives in the project bag for one of my large-count Chatelaine mandala projects.
4.  Collector's series, 3.5-inch in pewter finish.  These are Gingher's top-of-the line embroidery scissors and cost about twice as much as their standard pairs (I had a coupon) but oh, they are sweet.  Very finely crafted and very sharp with finer blades than the other models. 
5.  Lightweight series 4-inch.  Gingher's "Lightweight" line is the budget series, which have plastic handles and coarser blades than the other models..and are cheaper too of course.  Like all Ginghers they cut well, but the blades on this pair are not going to work for hardanger or very delicate stitching.  I like to use this pair for coarser forms of embroidery like Brazilian, or as a travel pair for road trips.  They are a little too big for the airplane, but for road trips they are hard to misplace and easily replaced if they do get lost.

Tomorrow-- the Dovos!