Choosing Shears or Scissors

A pair of good, sharp scissors and shears are mandatory. Shears have a small handle hole for the thumb and a large hole for several fingers, and the handles are bent to allow them to slide easily while cutting along a flat surface. Scissors have two handle holes that are the same size, and the handles are not bent. Generally, scissors are used for trimming small areas and cutting threads, while shears are used for large cutting jobs, such as cutting patchwork pieces.