Back in January, when I was talking about various needlework tools, I featured a pair of goldwork embroidery scissors. They were new to me, and I hadn’t actually used them yet to cut real metal threads, but I previewed them here and got some excellent feedback from readers who use them.
Well – finally! – last week I had a chance to use these little scissors that feature a very fine serrated blade, so I thought I’d share my impressions.
The idea behind goldwork scissors is that the fine serrated blade helps to maintain a grip on the threads and give a better cut. What I found when snipping bits of purl and pearl purl was that there was actually a difference in the feel of the blade as it held the metal threads. To make sure I wasn’t just imagining, I switched back and forth between the goldwork scissors and my standard (fine bladed) embroidery scissors that I normally use to cut metal threads.
Yes, there was definitely a difference in “feel” – the serrated lower blade did indeed seem to “grip” the metal thread a bit and hold onto it, which I think made cutting the metal threads maybe a bit “easier,” but not enough that there was any WOW moment to be had. Whether or not the scissors actually gave me a better cut, I couldn’t tell. There didn’t seem to be any noticeable difference in the two cuts from the two pairs of scissors.
So I don’t think goldwork scissors are an absolute necessity, personally. But I will admit this: there’s something nice about having a pair of scissors that are specifically made for goldwork. They’re gold, they’re not easily confused with my other embroidery scissors, and I’ll definitely use them specifically for goldwork. I also thought the reflection of the metal thread on the surface of the scissors was pretty neat.
Speaking of goldwork! See this mess?! I have three boxes of metal threads that I’m sifting through and re-organizing. After pondering the metal-thread-storage-question (they should be stored out of light, in acid-free materials safe for storage), I finally buckled and bought some “archival” boxes and will be getting this mess organized in the near future. I’m planning to take some photos and maybe work up a few short goldwork tutorials while delving into this part of my recent reorganization – so look for those in the future! (This is why it takes me so long to clean things up!)
Do you suspect there might be something going on here…. like the desire to do something with metal threads has completely conquered and I’m off on another spur-of-the-moment, gotta-do-this-now kind of project? Ahhhh. No, no! Please! Where’s your faith in my self control?!
I assure I won’t be starting a goldwork project before the end of this week!
