Rotary Cutters vs. Sewing Scissors

When it comes to cutting fabric, both sewing scissors and rotary cutters should have a place in your sewing tool kit. Depending on your project, one tool may better suit your needs. For example, when you are cutting straight lengths of fabric, a rotary cutter will help with accuracy and speed. However, if you have a lot of curves to navigate or very small pieces of any shape, a good, sharp pair of scissors will work much better, giving you the control and accuracy that you need. Read on to learn more about these two important sewing tools.

Rotary Cutter

A rotary cutter looks and works like a pizza cutter. It consists of a handle attached to a circular blade that rotates, hence the name rotary cutter. The first rotary cutter was introduced in the late 1970s by the Olfa company for garment construction. However, it quickly became well loved by quilters (and still continues to be) as it allows extremely precise cuts as well as reduces cut time. It also lets you cut through several layers of fabric at once (up to 4), which is very useful for quilting when you need to cut strips, squares, and triangles.

Rotary cutters can cut all types of fabric the same way fabric scissors can. With a rotary cutter you simply hold the handle and push the rotating blade over the fabric you want to cut. With scissors, you have to mechanically open and close the scissors over the fabric to cut. For this reason, many people find that the rotary cutter does not lead to hand fatigue when cutting large amounts of fabric.

Sewing Scissors

Not all scissors are created equal, and sewing scissors are not the same as the standard scissors you may keep around for cutting paper. In high-quality sewing scissors, the blades are extremely sharp and are positioned to increase the cutting and shearing tension at the exact point where the blades meet and the fabric is cleanly cut. A good pair of professional sewing scissors will be able to easily handle a wide and varied range of fabrics, including denim, silks and satins, felt, PU, and even leathers.

When using sewing scissors, comfort is important, so the scissor handles should be as rounded and ergonomic as possible to fit easily into your hand without rubbing or pinching. Some models feature padding on the handles for extra comfort. Always choose the right sized handles for your hand size!

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