Sewing Scissors Trivia

Did you know that scissors were invented around 1500 BC in ancient Egypt? They were forged into a U shape, and you pressed the ends together to cut something.  These scissors were forged from bronze.  Later around AD1000 the Romans introduced cross blade scissors.  Thank goodness for that.

Anyhow,  you may wonder why I am writing about this.  I have become interested in sewing scissors in particular since I started creating beaded sewing scissors lanyards for one of my customers.

As I started searching the web for pictures of sewing scissors, I found many pairs of them are "stork" sewing scissors.  The history of these is a fun piece of trivia. Midwives in the 1800s would keep a pair of these "stork" scissors in the sewing baskets.  They were actually used by the midwife to clamp off the umbilical cord after birth.  They were not intended to be scissors, but were clamps.

Because they were in the sewing boxes, manufacturers began making stork sewing scissors.  These are small sharp scissors most often used for embroidery work.  Stork scissors are still made today for embroidery.

Many of the scissors made in the past are absolutely gorgeous.  Some are even made from sterling silver. Those in the picture here are from 1890.  They have a sheath to protect the blades.

I have been creating beaded lanyards for scissors for one of my customers, and now have made some of them to sell to anyone interested in them.  I will bring you pictures of these next week.

Meanwhile, visit my Pinterest board where I have collected many pictures of sewing scissors.  Some have storks, one has a swan, one has an owl, and many are elegantly decorated with lots of swirly patterns.

Packaging Jewelry for Shipping to Your Customer

How do you package your jewelry before shipping it to your customer? If you are a buyer, what do you want to see when your package arrives?  From my experience, a buyer wants a special experience when purchasing a handmade item.  I have found a way to do this that is fun for me and for the customer. I have developed a way to package my jewelry items to send to my customers that meets with their approval.

This is not gift wrap. It is my normal everyday wrap when someone purchases an item from my shop. I want them to feel good about the purchase from the moment they open the envelope. I use a 6x9 padded mailer envelope, so that provides a good sturdy shipping envelope for the small items I send out. For larger orders, I go to a small priority shipping box. Once the customer opens the envelope and pulls out the item, here is what she sees.

I use small cello bags.  In this case I use Wilton bags designed for cookies and such.  This is the Garden Party theme.  It is my favorite.  I place the item into an organza bag, wrap that in a thin foam packing sheet, and place it and a couple of my business cards into the cello bag.  Then a cute sticker that I ordered from an Etsy seller is used to close the bag.  It provides a thank you, my name, and my website address.  I also add a receipt into the envelope. When the customer opens the cello bag and removes the foam packing, she sees the item in an organza bag.  I try to color coordinate with the jewelry if I can. 

 I have been surprised to hear back from some of my customers about the packaging once they receive their order.  I am delighted with their responses.  Here is some of the feedback I have received.

 I loved the way it was packaged, made it fun and exciting to open.~ Becky 

Packaged beautifully in gift pouches ~Sophia 

It came in a lovely gift wrapping that made gifting it perfect.~ Christine 

The packaging was almost too pretty to open.~Merry 

There are many creative ways to package your items for shipping.  Please share with us what you do for this.