How to Sharpen Sewing Scissors

With all of these options for optimizing your cutting experience, why wait to make your sewing as easy as possible? These tutorials on how to sharpen sewing scissors will teach you how to give your blades a keen edge in the way that best suits you.

Curious about the distinction between fabric and paper scissors? Learn everything you need to know in this guide, What's the Difference Between Fabric Scissors and Paper Scissors?
 

How to Sharpen Scissors with Sandpaper
How to Sharpen Scissors with Aluminum Foil
How to Sharpen Scissors with a Steel Wool Soap Pad
How to Sharpen Scissors with a Mason Jar
How to Sharpen Scissors with a Screwdriver
How to Sharpen Scissors with a Scissor Sharpener
How to Sharpen Scissors with a Sharpening Stone

Note: Always wipe down your scissors with a cloth or paper towel after performing each of these sharpening techniques. This will remove any slivers or burrs of metal that have been shaved off.
 

Instructions:

1. Get a piece of fine-grit sandpaper. According to wikiHow’s article, How to Sharpen Scissors, 150-200 grit should work fine, though you can opt for a finer grit (a higher number) if your blades are not as dull.
    
2. Fold your sandpaper in half with the rough sides facing out.
    
3. Cut several times through the folded sandpaper with your dull sewing scissors, making sure that both blades fully make contact with the sandpaper.
    
4. After cutting about 10 notches, test your scissors on a piece of scrap fabric to see if they are sharp enough. If they are not, cut more notches in the sandpaper until they have reached the desired level of sharpness.
    

Note: According to Vicky Myers in her SoSewEasy article How to Sharpen Scissors and Other Sewing Tools, this process can also be used to sharpen a rotary cutter by placing the folded aluminum foil on a cutting mat and cutting strips through it with the rotary cutter.

Instructions:

1. In order to sharpen scissors with foil, fold a 10’’ x 10’’ piece of aluminum foil in half about three times lengthwise. This should yield six layers of aluminum foil in a hot dog-like shape.
    
2. Cut several times through the folded aluminum foil with your dull sewing scissors, making sure that both blades fully make contact with the aluminum foil.
    
3. After cutting strips through the entire piece of aluminum foil, test your scissors on a piece of scrap fabric to see if they are sharp enough.
   
   If they are not, use another folded piece of aluminum foil and repeat Step 2 until they have reached the desired level of sharpness.
    

Instructions:

1. Cut several notches in a steel wool soap pad, making sure that both blades fully make contact with the pad.
    
2. Rinse the scissors' blades.
    
3. Test your scissors on a piece of scrap fabric to see if they are sharp enough. If they are not, cut more notches into the pad until they have reached the desired level of sharpness.

Note: If you use this method, select a mason jar that you don’t care about, as it may leave permanent scratches on its surface.

Instructions:

1. As outlined in Mrs. Mary Elayne Russell’s Curbly article How To Sharpen Scissors Yourself, open the dull sewing scissors all the way and position the body of the mason jar between the blades.
    
2. Pretend that you are trying to cut through the mason jar, and move the scissors outwards from the jar as you close them.
    
3. Repeat Step 2 until your blades are sharp enough for your liking.
    

Instructions:

1. The wikiHow article, How to Sharpen Scissors, explains how you should open the dull sewing scissors all the way and position the shaft of the screwdriver between the blades.
    
2. Pretend that you are trying to cut through the screwdriver, and move the screwdriver away from the scissors as you close them.
    
3. Repeat Step 2 until your blades are sharp enough for your liking.
    

Instructions:

1. Follow the instructions of your particular store-bought scissor sharpener, as they may differ based on brand and model.
    
2. However, most have you position the beveled, or sloped, edge of the scissors between the blades of the tool. Then you should pass the blades through the tool from base to tip.

Notes:
  • Follow the care and use instructions of your sharpening stone, as they may vary from brand to brand. These may include soaking it in the machine or honing oil before use and storing it in a particular way.
  • Also, most sharpening stones have two sides: a coarse side and a fine side. Depending on how dull your scissors are, you may need to start with the coarse side before using the fine side for touch-ups and finishing.

Instructions:

1. If possible, remove the screw on your sewing scissors and separate the blades.
    
2. Place the beveled, or sloped, edge of one blade so that it lays flat on the surface of the sharpening stone.
   
   Holding the bottom edge of the blade, slide the blade across the stone away from you from the base to the tip, making sure that the edge of the blade stays flat the whole time.
    
3. Repeat Step 2 until your blade is sufficiently sharp.
    
4. Repeat Steps 2–3 for the other blade.