Stubborn

Have you ever had this problem:

You resign yourself to buying a new tool {lets use scissors for an example} and you know you need to spend more than you have on the cheap ones you currently have. I mean ... you use scissors for everything!

Kelmscott Manor - Block 8

And you are working on a humongous applique project where you need to cut eleventy billion pieces.

The $10 pair from Wal-mart just doesn't cut it. Especially not since the man of the house borrowed them to cut who-knows-what and they back slide a little every time you cut forward. NOT a sign of sharp blades.

So you go to the store and pick up every pair of scissors they have to test the grips on them. I like long blades because I like the smoothness of one slow snip, instead of chopping with a bunch of little snips - that rules out most scissors made specifically for applique. With a little practice you can use long blades to make tight corners and fine details anyway ..

Ooooo these look cool!

These are super comfortable in the hand. After hours of cutting applique my fingers do not feel like they have been through a meat grinder. They are pretty and the blades are SHARP and the right length too. The price was okay for a high quality product. And they DO look cool - look at those cut-outs in the blades! Don't they look awesome --- like flames painted on a racing car? Must make them go FASTER!

Let me tell you - those cut-outs are horrible. When I cut out my applique pieces and go around curves they JAM because a tip of a leaf will get caught in the hole further back. And then your piece is wrecked. Any little twist you make while cutting means another part of your applique is about to get caught in those STUPID holes.

NOTE: These are shears. They are not meant for applique. They work great for quick {straight} cuts. It is my own stupidity that has resulted in this huge problem. And guess what?

I'm STUBBORN. I'm still using the darned things to cut my applique -- slowly, with much adjusting -- because I was so sure they were going to be perfect. I paid good money for them, so I haven't tossed them in the garbage where they belong. I'm sure the store where I bought them would take them back - but I'm embarrassed to return them. And aside from the dumb holes they really are perfect.