Sewing Scissors & Shears
Dressmaking and tailoring have always demanded their own tools. Sewing scissors and tailor shears are designed for long, accurate cuts through fabric, often made standing or seated at a table for hours at a time. Of all the sewing tools a dressmaker, seamstress, tailor or cutter relies on, the shears used for cutting fabric matter most.
Hot drop forged in C50 or C60 high carbon steel for long-life precision edge retention, our collection is handcrafted in Sheffield at Kutrite Works by a small team of master scissor-makers.Â
Available in both right and left-handed options for select patterns, our professional range includes:
The Evolution of the Sidebent Tailor Shear
Tailors and dressmakers need shears that cut cleanly along a flat surface, without catching the table edge or disturbing the fabric beneath. The sidebent design solves this: the handles, or bows, project upward and away from the blades, so the lower blade rests flat on the cutting table while the cut runs in a straight, controlled line.
The sidebent design was patented in Sheffield, in 1800, and went on to become the standard form for dressmaking and tailoring shears, not only Made in Sheffield but made by scissor-makers in Solingen, Premana, Thiers, Newark and beyond. It remains the defining feature of professional tailoring tools today.
Forged from a Single Piece of High Carbon Steel
As tailoring developed, shears grew larger and heavier to cut through multiple layers of fabric simultaneously. Some historic large shears were forge welded together from two parts, blade and handle made separately.
Every pair starts as a single piece of hot drop forged steel, blade and handle forged together, hardened to 54-56 HRC for a durable, precise cutting edge. Because we forge from a single piece, 13 inches remains the practical limit for this traditional method. Every pair carries the Made in Sheffield mark, city’s S1 postcode at Kutrite Works.
The Story of the 13″ Heritage Tailor Shears
The 13″ Heritage Tailor Shears carry a story of their own. While searching through old archives, we discovered a very old model of tailor shears, complete with its original die and tooling. Rather than leave it behind, we brought the pattern back into production.
We forge a limited run of blanks in C60 high carbon steel—the same high grade used for our heaviest shears—and remade the screw and bolts so the shears rest securely between cuts. Despite their size, the raised top blade keeps them easy to open fully, even for smaller hands. Because of this intense craftsmanship, only a small number can be made each month.
Preserving the Art of the ‘Putter-Togetherer’
After grinding and polishing, the blades are put together, set, and tested by a small team of Sheffield scissor-makers. One historic Sheffield job title proudly survives in our workshop today: the putter-togetherer. Earning the title takes a five-year apprenticeship, a tradition that goes back to Walter Wright, a Sheffield Little Mester who specialised in finishing scissor blades and was known as Master Scissor Putter-togetherer before his son Ernest founded the company in 1902. Responsible for perfectly aligning and setting the scissors, this role remains central to the performance of the finished tool. Once sharpened, the blades are closed together for the very first time, leaving them perfectly married.
While much of Sheffield’s scissors trade has disappeared, our sidebent shears remain a living part of the city’s manufacturing tradition.