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.