Sharpen Your Pinking Shears With Aluminum Foil

This sewing tip is highly contested, but it has worked for me many times!

Cutting through aluminum foil (or sandpaper!) isn't a replacement for a good professional sharpening, but a quick fix for when your pinking shears decide they don't feel like cooperating in the middle of a project. It also won't save pinking shears that are beyond dull.

But it's absolutely perfect for when you're trying to use your pinking shears on an edge and they just aren't having it. If your pinked edges are coming out a little round and crushed instead of pointy, this is a good solution. :)

• aluminum foil
• pinking shears
• fabric for testing

You can also use very fine grit sandpaper for this, but I always use aluminum foil since I have loads of it and it's cheaper

If you're using heavy duty foil, just fold it over and cut. I'm using really flimsy foil, so I folded it a few times. Don't go overboard with the folding - cutting through too many layers of foil can mess up the alignment on your shears.

Make a few cuts (making sure to include all the shear's teeth in your cuts!) through the foil and the test the pinking shears on some fabric.

Or, if it didn't work, have your shears professionally sharpened.

Craft stores like Hancock Fabrics, Jo-Ann's, and Michael's offer sharpening for fair prices - ask around next time you're in and they can let you know the next day they'll have a professional on site to do it.

If you've got a nicer pair of scissors (like Gingher) sometimes you can even send your scissors back to the manufacturer and get them sharpened that way.

I hope this works for you or I at least pointed you in the right direction.

May your crafting scissors be forever sharp! :D