Straight Cuts and Other Scissor Tales

Handmade, hand cut and hand designed dragonflies by yours truly. :)

I've had many people, over the past few years, ask me how my cuts are so "perfect". I say "perfect" because I am a perfectionist, I always think my own work can be improved and never think of my work as perfect. Nonetheless, people always ask how I get my cuts so smooth, even and straight. For me, there are 2 parts to the equation in getting nice clean scissor cuts...

1) Good, very sharp scissors that fit your hand well. For me, my favorite scissors are Cutter Bees from EK Success. They have an extra sharp tip, non stick blades and they're smaller - perfect for my hands and for getting into tight or curvy areas.

2) Move the paper, not your scissors. When I cut, I hold my scissors with my right hand and "guide" the paper with my left hand. Plus, I never make the scissor blades chop but rather make even smooth cuts.

Another tip I can offer is for matting. I have a wonderful tool called the Magic Matter by Puzzle Mates (PM Designs). It has different sized disks with a hole in the center. You place a pencil in the hole and gently trace the edge of whatever you want to matte and VOILA, perfect cutting lines for your matted piece ! It's perfect for getting an even matte around shaped, curvy and intricate designs. I have the 4 disk set which, unfortunately, has been discontinued. They do still sell a 3 disk set although I understand it is hard to find in stores.

I think I was also blessed with a very steady hand. Lemme tellya, that comes in handy when making scissor cuts !

Happy cutting, snipping and paper crafting !!

xoxoxoxox

~Wendy

Comments

Lily said…

Great tips for cutting. I never knew not to move the scissors, thanks!

7/20/2008 10:17 PM

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