Pinking shears are a type of scissors with serrated blades that are commonly used in sewing to prevent fraying. Learn how and when to use them in this post.
Hey y’all, today we’re going to talk about when and how to us pinking shears. Have you noticed that the raw edges of your fabric fray when they’re washed? These specialized scissors have serrated blades that cut the edge of fabric in a series of peaks to help prevent fraying. This is an easy seam finish on some fabrics (more on that below). So in this post I draw on my 30+ years of using pinking shears to show you when you should reach for them and when you should choose an alternate method to finish your seam allowance.
Key Takeaways
- Pinking shears are used to prevent fraying
- Fray prevention in this manner is related to bias grain of the fabric
- Not all fabrics work well with this seam finish method
- These are only used for woven fabrics, not knit fabrics
- With the right fabric, this can be a quick, durable and easy way to finish seams
Introduction To Pinking Shears And Their Purpose In Sewing
In order to understand why pinking shears can help with fraying, it’s first important to understand fabric grain and weave. There is a much more in-depth post about grainline here, but I’ll also summarize.
Woven fabric is made of warp and weft threads that go over and under each other. Warp (straight grain) is perpendicular to weft (cross grain). If you cut fabric at 45 degrees (diagonally) to the warp or weft that is the bias grain. When you cut on the bias, you’re cutting the warp and weft threads to different lengths. Because of this, there is no thread that runs entirely along a bias edge, and that makes a bias cut less prone to fraying.
Each tooth on pinking shears cuts at an angle. This makes a series of zig zags on the edge, in essence creating a bunch of small bias cuts. That is how they help with fraying.
Notice that all this discussion is about woven fabrics. As a reminder, fabric has two main properties: fiber and construction. There is a more in depth discussion of fiber vs construction here. Stretch knit fabrics have a different construction and therefore don’t fray in the same way. Don’t use your pinking shears on knit fabric. Not only will they be ineffective for fraying, you will likely frustrate yourself and may even chew up the edges of your fabric and create holes with the shears.
Pinking Shears in Action
I’ve got a video showing my shears and pinking blade in action, which you can watch below or on YouTube here.
As you can see in the video above, to use pinking shears you make a firm cut on the edge of the fabric, then open the blades and line up the back teeth of the shears with the zigzag shape of each previous cut to continue cutting. With a blade you don’t need to line up the diagonal edges as long as you can lay the whole cut on a mat to make in one pass.
What to Avoid Doing
Here are some pinking shear dos and don’ts to help keep your frustration level down.
- Don’t use pinking shears on non-woven fabric.
- Do cut tightly woven fabrics with pinking shears to prevent fraying
- Don’t cut too close to the edge. The entire blade needs to be on the fabric or you’ll just chew up threads on the edge
- Do test a scrap before working on your actual project
- Don’t cut out your pattern with pinking shears. You won’t be able to sew a consistent seam allowance width if you don’t have a straight edge to line up on your machine.
Choosing The Right Pinking Shears For Your Project
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. All affiliate links are identified with (affiliate link) after the link or a commissions earned statement above the link(s).
So as you can see from the video above, I use my pinking shears (affiliate link) and pinking blade (affiliate link) with tightly woven fabrics like quilting cotton and silk. I have also successfully used them with thicker fabrics like 100% cotton denim, twill and canvas. I don’t always get clean cuts on denim with spandex in it, particularly if I’m using the scissors. Even after washing, these fabrics show less fraying on the pinked edges than the non-pinked ones.
However, loosely woven fabrics like rayon challis and the linen blend shown below need a different seam finish than pinking. As you can see, after washing these types of fabrics still exhibit a lot of fraying on the pinked edges.
Should you add more pairs of scissors like pinking shears or rotary cutters with a pinking blade to your sewing toolkit? If you can only choose one, I recommend the pinking blade. It is easier on your hands to use and can be used with all weights of fabrics.
Both kinds are in my studio. I reach for the scissors when I’m cutting a mid-weight fabric like quilting cotton or flannel or when I’m finishing curve seam. The blade is my first choice for lighter weight fabrics like silk and for straight seams. I also use the blade when I just want decorative edges on my fabric, because it’s easier to cut long, even straight edges with them.
Alternative Seam Finish Methods
So if you’re using a loosely woven fabric and you need an alternate seam finish, check out some of these options. A French seam is a great option for loosely woven and sheer fabrics like chiffon. A flat fell seam is great for thicker fabrics. Other methods covered include overlocking and faux overlocking.
You can click on any picture to go to the post. The third one is a round up of all kinds of seam finishes if you want to see all the options in one place.
Pinking Shears FAQs
Do pinking shears work?
When used on the right types of fabrics, they’re a great option. If you are using on loosely woven fabrics you’ll be frustrated and disappointed.
Are pinking shears better than pinking blades for a rotary cutter?
If you can only choose one, I recommend the pinking blade. It is easier on your hands to use and can be used with all weights of fabrics.
Which fabrics work well with pinking shears?
Tightly woven fabrics like quilting cotton, silk charmeuse, tightly woven flannel, 100% cotton denim, twill and canvas all work well. Stretch fabrics or woven fabrics with added spandex do not. Loosely woven fabrics like rayon challis, double gauze and linen do not work well.
What causes my pinking shears to get stuck and chew the fabric?
This can be caused by dull blades, but it is also a common issue when fabric has spandex added to it or if you try to use your shears on loosely woven or non-woven fabric. You can try switching to a blade, but if it still won’t cut, choose an alternate seam finish.
Leave a Reply