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Cutting Tools Maintenance with LDH Scissors – The Asian Sewist Collective Podcast
Links
LDH Scissors
How to Oil Your Scissors
Your Scissor’s Journey – Blog posts on the manufacturing of LDH Scissors
What’s the difference between 45mm and 60mm rotary cutters?
Thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Oliso.
Auto-Lift Iron For Quilters in Butterscotch
Transcript
Nicole
Thank you to Oliso for sponsoring this episode. More on them later.
Ada
Welcome to the Asian Sewist Collective Podcast. The Asian Sewist Collective is a group of Asian people from around the world brought together by our shared appreciation for fiber and textile arts and our desire to see more Asian representation in the sewing community.
Nicole
In this podcast we explore the intersection of identities and our shared sewing practice as we create a space for Asian Sewists and our allies.
Ada
I’m your co-host, Ada Chen, and I’m recording from Denver, Colorado. Denver is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho peoples. I’m a Taiwanese American marketer, turned entrepreneur, and these days you’ll find me running my natural skincare brand, Erleia. That’s E-R-L-E-I-A. Find us on social media at Erleia Skin. Most importantly for this podcast you can find my sewing at i.hope.sew on Instagram.
Nicole
And I’m your co-host, Nicole. I’m recording outside of Chicago, Illinois, the original homelands of the Council of the Three Fires, the Ojibwe, the Potawatomi, and the Odawa people. I’m a Philippine American lawyer who loves to sew and you can find me on Instagram at Nicoleangelinesews.
Ada
Okay, Nicole, you know the question that is coming, what are you sewing right now?
Nicole
Does it count if I just finished it?
Ada
Yeah, absolutely. That’s what I’m gonna be talking about too.
Nicole
Okay. There is no pattern. This is a quilt.
Nicole
I’ll show you
Ada
Listeners, we’ve converted her.
Nicole
I’ll show you.
Ada
to the dark side.
Nicole
I’ll try not to cover the the the mic but. So it is a Liberty inspired quilt. They are, the blocks are, I don’t know what size they are, but there are eight rectangles per square block.
Nicole
The reason why I don’t have a ton of details is because this was an unfinished project that was donated to the place where I volunteer teach at Partners for Communities in Palatine.
Nicole
And this was a bag of pre-sewn blocks. So I was like, they’re super cute. I didn’t have to piece nothing. So I just squared off the blocks, pieced them together.
Nicole
I also had in you know the batting, almost called it interfacing. It’s my apparel sewing brain. I mentioned on the podcast previously that I made my first pair of jeans and I also made the tulip top from a purple denim.
Nicole
And that purple denim I also got from Partners for our Community that just got donated to them. And I was like, okay, well, it’s my first jean. Why not? So the binding is the purple jean.
Ada
Ooh, oh, it’s like a dark purple.
Nicole
Yeah.
Ada
That’s cute.
Nicole
And then the back is the Bichon or other curly white dog fabric that you got me from Japan.
Ada
It’s Zizou and Mochi in a quilt.
Nicole
Yeah, we love them. It’s hard to see on the camera, but it is super cute. And I just did a piece of squares together. And then I just, I don’t know, what do you call it? The way that I quilted it in was also squares, just the big ones.
Ada
Oh, you just yeah you just did a grid.
Nicole
Yeah. So this is my first pieced quilt, even though I didn’t piece it. Well, I pieced the blocks.
Ada
That counts.
Nicole
It counts. But the fabric, I don’t know. I think I looked at one of the patterns. There’s a, I believe… pig that stands up, that stood up and is wearing a jacket, some like 1984 kind of stuff. Maybe not.
Nicole
I don’t know if you can see it on the camera, but I tried to find out whether any of this was Liberty. You see this?
Ada
Yeah.
Nicole
Because it just like really looks like it. And I was only able to find that this pig fabric was reproduced by a company, I want to say in like the 80s or 90s.
Nicole
So it was originally a print from like the 30s or 40s, and then it was reproduced. But everything else looks very Liberty. So I made my first quilt. It would be so cute for a baby, but it’s for this baby right here.
Nicole
Me. It’s smaller than I would use to like cover myself up with and get cozy, but I actually use it in my home office. So now that I’m 100% remote, it’s like I keep it draped on the back of my chair.
Nicole
And my chair is white. Why did I do that? I don’t know. But this is keeping me cozy and cute. So this, I’m so proud of it. It’s so adorable. Like, I don’t know.
Nicole
I just love it. And I’m really excited that I made it. So tell me about what your recently finished project is. Yay.
Ada
I am so excited that you made a quilt. We have converted you. You don’t have to always sew quilts. I just think you should have like a nice appreciation for it so that when you’re like constructing your garments, you’re like, this is so much better than piecing together 100 pieces.
Nicole
I do.
Ada
Listeners, don’t let me turn you off of quilting because I’ve definitely made that comment to some beginners before. I think you’ll be really proud of me for not panic sewing, right?
Nicole
I am proud.
Ada
So a few months ago, we hosted a very good friend who said that he had always wanted to wear a cape. And I let him shop my fabric stash and made him a cape out of some really nice linen gauze that I had picked up in Japan, I believe, two years ago.
Ada
And there was still about a yard and a half of this fabric still left. And when I bought it, I had originally thought like maybe a top, maybe something cute for that and then I was like I’m a year and a half and we thought that maybe we could wear these together and match at this wedding that I have to go to in Italy and so there is a welcome dinner like I think I’ve mentioned it before but this is like a multi-day event there’s a welcome dinner and I made a it’s a mini dress for sure definitely very mini we will be wearing shorts or some sort of spandex I
Ada
But I’ve used up the rest of that fabric to make the outer. And then I used some thrifted. I want to say it’s actually like a Lyocell, Tencel kind of rayon-y blend.
Ada
Probably from the 80s or early 90s based on like what I found on it. It has like vaguely floral motifs on it. And when I thrifted it, it actually had ink blots all over it. So it’s this really beautiful deep pink color that like I love pink.
Ada
But you couldn’t really use giant cuts of it because of those inkblots that I’ve tried washing out multiple times.
Nicole
Yeah.
Ada
So I figured it’d be a nice pairing for the outer as the lining. So I’ve made, I’m going to describe it to you because this pattern is not size inclusive. And so I don’t really want to promote it.
Ada
It is a princess seam. I believe there’s a more inclusive term for princess seam now, it is a three-piece front bodice, four-piece back bodice, strapless dress with an A-line skirt and kind of like a band on top, almost like a ribbon band. So it’s a little bit like vintage retro-y vibe, but I think the silhouette is very modern in that it’s like a modern cocktail dress.
Ada
And I think it took me many, many hours actually to fully piece this dress together with the lining. Just being more mindful of how I made it because I also wanted to make sure that I could wear it again.
Ada
Like it’s, it definitely doesn’t have to go to a wedding dress. I think you could dress it down. You could dress it up for an event like a wedding, but very proud of having it done.
Ada
I think I’ve had it done for more than a month before we’re leaving.
Nicole
Wow.
Ada
It’s like the anti-panic sewing.
Nicole
Yeah. Listeners, what is what is the term for not panic sewing? Yeah.
Ada
Yeah, knowing that you have something and sewing it in an appropriate amount of time.
Nicole
Appropriate sewing. There’s got to be a saying that we can put on our labels.
Ada
This was not a panic sew.
Nicole
That sounds awesome. And this wedding, I can’t wait to see pictures from it. It sounds like it’s going to be amazing.
Ada
I know usually I’m wearing mostly black. We know. I love a good black outfit. We’ve made many black dresses, many, many many black shirts, pants all the options. But I thought for a summer wedding, destination wedding with multiple events, why not go colorful?
Ada
That being said, the main event dress is not complete yet and it is going to be black with some colorful lace. So on trend still.
Nicole
On brand and you got time.
Ada
Do I?
Ada
Today’s topic is something that every sewist needs as part of their practice, no matter what kind of sewing you’re doing or what kind of fabrics you are working with, and it is cutting tools. So we all know that our fabric scissors are sacred, but are we using the right tools for our projects and doing everything we can to keep them nice and sharp and at their best?
So today’s guests are Ursula and Roy of LDH Scissors, and listeners, you might remember that LDH sponsored a giveaway on our Instagram a few years ago when we were just starting out and they are friends and sponsors of the podcast.
Nicole
What you might not know is that LDH was first founded in Shenzhen, just outside of Hong Kong in 1990 by Roy’s parents. And we’d love to learn more about the origins of the company in Asia before diving into practical tips for maintenance. So welcome, Ursula and Roy.
Roy
Thanks for having us.
Ursula
Yeah, thank you. We’re so excited to talk.
Ada
Amazing.
Ada
Roy, can you tell us about the background a bit of LDH? So who were your parents? Why were they inspired to start a cutting tools company?
Roy
Yeah, so LDH was founded in 1990 by my parents. My father comes from a family that has a long history of making knives, making metal tools, fishing tools. So he naturally picked up making scissors. So in 1990, one of our relatives owned an umbrella factory. So at the time, they were looking for quality scissors and they couldn’t find any. So then my dad was like, okay, and let’s go. Let’s try to make some scissors. So that’s why LDH was founded in 1990. And we specialize in scissors and just scissors, only scissors, nothing else. Yeah, so it’s a family business and we’ve been really proud to carry on the business here.
Ada
1990. So you guys have been around for a while now. I mean, that’s older than me. 35 years. Have you changed anything about how the scissors are made or how the business operates in that time?
Roy
No, it’s the same process that was done, you know, 35 years ago. Just attention to detail, dedication to the crafts that we do. Nothing has changed. Just a side story, though. Unfortunately, my dad passed away in 1999. So my mom’s younger brother actually took over the manufacturing side of the business.So it’s kind of like, you know, everybody just carries on, you know, the business.
Ursula
Yeah, but it’s really his mom that has been at the helm the entire time and has really done so much of the growing of the business. And it’s really inspiring to see, especially as we continue on what she and your dad has been doing.
Roy
Yeah.
Nicole
What a beautiful legacy. I’m over here just like If you’re on our YouTube, you can see my face being like, oh, that’s so wonderful. But, you know, Ursula, on the website, it says you and Roy expanded the business into Toronto, Canada in 2018. So what precipitated the move?
Ursula
So in 2018, you know, we were about a year or two out of university and we had just gotten our first jobs. And it was kind of, you know, it was, it’s your first jobs. They’re not necessarily what you’re looking for, or maybe not in the field that you studied. And we just kind of looked at each other and Roy brought the idea to me. Because he had told me a long time ago that his family made scissors. And I remember thinking, huh? Like, what do you mean? Like, what kind of scissors?
Nicole
Aww.
Ursula
That’s very specific. And he said, you know, we’re not really happy with what we’re doing. We don’t really see a future in what we’re doing. So we might as well give it a shot. We might as well just try to sell some scissors. And that’s what we’ve been doing since then.
Roy
Yeah, that’s right. And actually, a funny story about this. After university, we were traveling around the world. And I ended up in Taiwan. So I ended up on this dark alleyway. And I saw the sign that says fortune teller. So I went in. Yeah, and I went in. I was like, what am I going to do with my future? And then this lady you know took a look at my birthday and my name. And she was like, oh, you’d be really good with working with metals. And I was like, oh, okay. mean, yeah.
Ursula
Pretty amazing.
Roy
I know, It was a funny story. And so at that time, I was like, okay, maybe I should just try to take, you know, carry on the business. Yeah.
Nicole
I would take absolutely that as a sign and I’m not really a sign type of person and I’d be like, whoa, I guess I know what I need to do now.
Ada
I’m kind of like, I’m pretty sure that the, you know, it’s like an astrological kind of thing, but also has to do with things like your birthday and your name and whatever. And I’m pretty sure my parents or my grandparents had one of those done for me at some point when I was little.
Roy comes back from the fortune-telling, ominous kind of prediction there. When you moved the company ah ah to Canada, what were some of the difficulties or challenges that you both faced during this whole transition? Because I imagine it’s pretty different running a family business out of Shenzhen versus having like a North American presence and kind of a brand, if you will, behind it.
Roy
Yeah, so I mean, we both of us, you know, we went to school for something else. so we didn’t study business at all. So there was a lot of figuring out ourselves, watching YouTube videos, Googling stuff, learning everything from the ground up. But a lot of challenges for sure. But especially trying to figure out, you know, shipping- how to ship a package, how to… Design the package as well. lot of little things. Accounting is a huge part of it. I mean, we spent countless hours just figuring out accounting.
Ursula
I don’t even think we have it figured out yet.
Roy
Well, we have an accountant now.
Ursula
That’s true. Yeah we have an accountant now. That’s who figures it out. Thank God for the accountant.
Roy
That’s the key.
Ada
That counts.
Ursula
So it’s really like, I mean, as you guys know, too, with the podcast, when you’re starting your own business, it’s what is your branding? What are you trying to do? Who’s your customer? What does it look like? It’s a lot. And I mean, fortunately for us, we were doing this together. Same as your parents, they were doing it together. It’s so much easier to have somebody to not only talk to, but to figure stuff out, like the back and forth. Oh, maybe we should do this. Maybe we should do this. That just makes it so much easier because, you know, starting your own business, if you’re kind of doing that alone, I know it can be really lonely. So I’m grateful we did it together, Roy.
Roy
Me too. It’s been fun journey together for past eight, six, eight years now. Yeah. Yeah. Long time. Feels like a long time. Yeah.
Nicole
My heart
Ursula and Roy
Yeah.
Ada
Business years are different than annual years.
Ursula and Roy
That’s true.
Ada
You blink and it’s like, it’s August already.
Ursula and Roy
That’s true.
Ada
So I know that this is a topic that I’ve dealt with as a small business owner, but I also wanted to ask both of you about it because you’re in Canada, you manufacture in Asia. We are recording this in mid-August, 2025.
Ada
Is there anything you think our listeners who are mostly in North America, but also listening from elsewhere and kind of observing the current events, shall we say, that are happening right now. Is there anything that you think our listeners should know about tariffs or in particular for our American listeners: Is there anything that’s going to impact their orders to you or is there a way that they can support your business while we kind of navigate whatever tariffs mean?
Ursula
It’s a tricky situation. It’s hard to know in both the short and the long term kind of what’s going on. As everyone knows, it kind of changes month to month. So for us, we’re really trying to, we’re still trying to figure out what this is going to look like for us and how we’re moving forward so that we can both support our American customers and sewing communities, as well as making sure our business is sustainable. We are still figuring that out, but any of the updates will be on our newsletters and social media channels.
Roy
Our products are in most states in the US. If people want to buy our product, they can support local businesses in their state.
Ada
So what I’m hearing is go to the LDH website and find a retailer near you if you live in the US and you don’t want to figure out how to pay UPS or whatever, you don’t want to find some other way to get it. But you can also order on the website, correct?
Ursula
Yes. Yeah. We are still shipping.
Roy
Still shipping. Yeah. It’s not a factor right now. Yeah.
Ada
Love that. We can still get sharp scissors, like rotary cutters, pinking shears, crafting scissors, and snips. I’m trying to forget. Remember if I got anything else.
Ursula
I think you got most of it. Yeah. Yeah.
Ada
Okay.
Nicole
So as a couple, how much of your dinner table talk is like business LDH versus life.
Ursula
You know… It depends. Like if we’re busier, we try to keep it at a minimum, like at the dinner dinner table. And on weekends, we try to have some sort of separation, especially with, you know, our young child. He might have an opinion about scissors. Like we don’t know yet. So, but like, we try to keep like, this is our business time. This is our family time. Yeah.
Roy
Yeah. But we have this mega calendar that just includes everything like family stuff, scissors, stuff, yeah business is stuff. So I guess you can say it’s all mixed up together.
Ursula
Yeah, that’s true.
Ada
I love that healthy boundaries, but somewhat of a work life integration, which I know is hard when you set the schedule and you manage the calendar. I’m going to hand it off to Nicole because she’s got a nice introduction for some content that you all made.
Nicole
Yeah, so before we move on to cutting tools maintenance, which I know our listeners are excited about, maybe nervous like me when I was learning I was pretty much doing everything wrong. I want to ask you about the “your scissors journey” three part blog series from 2021. It’s a walkthrough on how scissors are made, and it’s fascinating. Can you tell us about putting together that series? And, you know, the videos are just so beautiful. And we’ll, of course, link to the blog posts in the show notes, and you should definitely check it out.
Ursula
Absolutely. So this was kind of, this was my baby and it started actually in 2019. So the first time we went back to China together, specifically to learn more about the manufacturing process and to take pictures and videos was in 2019. And so all of those photos and the videos that you see of the manufacturing process are ones that I took from that time. And one thing that’s really important to us is sharing as much information as we can about the manufacturing process. and really it’s one of those situations where if you don’t know, you just don’t know, and there’s no way to know, right? So the blog was really, the goal was to have that concrete information out there specifically because there’s really one way to handcraft scissors and it’s a really, really interesting process. Every single step is so precise and it has to be done, you know, A, B, C, if that makes sense.
And I remember the inspiration that I felt when I went to go see these really highly skilled artisans making these scissors, I wanted to share that with everybody. So that’s really where the blog idea came from. And people have questions about, well, how is it made? Like, what is the process? So it’s a really great way to just direct people there. I learn more every single year, honestly, as someone who got to marry into the business. I think scissors is all that I know now. I don’t think I know anything else. So and talking to your mom, too, and learning more about the process, like whenever we have a question, she’s just a wealth of information.
Roy
Yeah
Ursula
So actually, maybe we should update it. We might update it in the future as well, because she always shares more with us about what’s going on.
Roy
Yeah, there’s just so much going on in the pair of scissors. Like, like for example, like left-handed scissors actually have to be made by left-handed people.
Nicole
Oh.
Ursula and Roy
Yeah, because just the way…
Ada
I’m about to tell my left-handed husband.
Ursula
Ah, Roy’s left-handed too.
Roy
I’m left-handed too. I’m ambidextrous, but I’m mostly left-handed. Yeah, yeah.
Ada
Why? Can you tell us why they have to be made by left handed people?
Roy
Just because of cutting motion and just the way that’s assembled, it’s hard to do it by a right-handed person because everything is reversed. The dominant blade is on the other side. The handle has to feel right with your left hand, right? So yeah, everything is reversed.
Ada
That’s so interesting because I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced this, but I know a lot of people who are of Asian descent, if you are left-handed, your parents, your grandparents might be like, “let’s fix that”, I’m doing air quotes. If you’re not watching us on YouTube and they’ll have you be ambidextrous to learn the right hand because the world just wasn’t designed for left-handed people. So it’s so interesting to acknowledge that to make that product, you also have to be the person who would use that product to assemble all of those pieces. So I love that.
Ursula and Roy
Yeah.
Nicole
Yeah, and it makes sense. Seems like, yeah, who better to make sure that the needs of this population are being met than someone who understands. So they’re master crafts person, plus they’re left-handed. That’s really incredible. I actually bought some of your lefty scissors for my niece. So she’s eight now, so too young. I just got really excited. I bought them like five years ago because I was like, okay, she’s left-handed.W hen she’s ready, she can use these.
Ursula and Roy
Oh wow
Nicole
And yeah, I did see, ah Ada, your observation about that is interesting. Like I did see a little bit of that from older generations with my niece. Like, why don’t you just try to have her hold something in the right hand? and you know, I mean- I’m not a parent, so I don’t know what it’s like. But I was like, you’re a lefty. I want to make your life easier and I want to encourage your career. So they’re actually still sitting in my drawer. Maybe she’s ready. I don’t know.
Ursula and Roy
laughs
Ada
She’s eight.
Nicole
LDH scissors are no joke. So… She is responsible, though. But, you know, with that, let’s go ahead and transition into the cutting tools conversation. I want to talk about different items that we all have, and we’ll just go ahead and start with shears, scissors. Shears sound fancier to me. I probably say scissors a lot more. But why would we use scissors, shears that were designed specifically for sewing or fabric? We all know fabric scissors are fabric scissors in the house. Do not cut anything else with your designated fabric scissors. But why use shears that are designed for sewing and fabric, not just any scissors, like no matter how sharp they are?
Ursula
Well, fabric shears- there’s a couple of points that make them different than say like a regular like a craft scissor or even like a dollar store scissor. And one of the things that you’ll really notice right away is the shape and thickness of the blade. So the angle of the blade is going to be much different than what you’re going to see on a craft scissor, because a craft scissor, most of the time we’re using it to cut like paper or maybe some yarn if you’re knitting.It’s not, it doesn’t have to be designed to cut something thick, i.e. denim, even like a thick cotton, for example. So the blades are going to be shaped differently, typically thicker as well. The handle shape, it’s designed to be more ergonomic to your hand. So it’s molded. The ones that we have, the Midnight Edition specifically, there’s a part that molds to this part of your hand. And this is sort of, if you’re not watching on YouTube, it’s the meaty part of where your thumb is. It rests there. It gives you more leverage because again, when you’re cutting thicker materials or you’re cutting for a long time, you kind of need a different handle shape. And another point is the button or the pivot, which is the sort of the screw that keeps the two blades together. It’s more heavy duty as well. Again, it’s a longevity thing. It’s about being able to handle the different types of fabric that you’re cutting. So it’s just, it’s designed for something completely different, than a craft scissor is.
Roy
Yeah. And even just the blades, the blades are actually concave;.they’re slightly curved.
Ursula
They kind of, I’m going to try to describe this as well. So it’s just the sharp edge that’s cutting against each other. And the reason it can do that is because it’s concave and that allows it to glide through materials more easily. And you’re not going to find that on…
Roy
… craft scissors or dollar scissors, yeah.
Nicole
I pulled out a pair of scissors from my drawer at the desk I’m sitting at, which is a brand that shall not be named, but I’m holding it up here for the YouTube folks, and it is flush. The blades are flush, so they are not concave.
Ada
Oh, you’re saying flush. I’m saying I’ve got free craft scissors from, I don’t know where, they were probably off a big box store or a big online retailer that I got for free and they’re straight up crooked. So…
*Everyone laughs*
Nicole
It’s an art.
Ada
It’s an art. It makes a difference. Let me tell you, cutting with those crooked scissors, not great.
—————–
Ada
Thanks again to Oliso for sponsoring this episode. We received their Pro Plus Iron in exchange for an honest review. The Pro Plus Iron is probably the iron you are thinking of if you have heard about or seen Oliso. It is their flagship iron, and that is for a good reason. It’s the iron that has the lifting feature, which is called their iTouch technology. So if you touch the handle when it’s down, it lowers and it’s ready to iron. But then to keep you safe and protect your ironing board and, let’s be honest, your projects, if your hand isn’t on it, it lifts up. Yes, there is a little mechanical sound that you will hear, but nothing like a good podcast can’t drown out. This definitely takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you have that feature, if you easily get distracted while ironing, let’s say you have a small dog running around your space like I do, this is a lifesaver. Definitely helps me not burn my projects. When I’m ironing or pressing, it’s for you. Especially if you are somebody who has a lot going on in the background or maybe you can only sew in short bursts of time. Plus the steam does get nice and hot and it even works vertically. I have tested that out. Butterscotch is the color that we both got. It’s this nice buttery yellow and I’m actually liking it a lot. It stands out from my other irons and tools in my sewing space. Nicole, any thoughts on the color?
Nicole
Butterscotch, buttery yellow is definitely in. And so I’m a little bit perturbed by the way that people love it so much in terms of like clothing. And I’m like, I don’t know if I can get onto it. But yeah, I love the color of the actual iron itself. It brings a little bit of pop to the sewing space and also, you know, really helps it identify as yours, especially in the settings that Ada and I sew sometimes. So we’ll link to the Pro Plus in the show notes for this episode. Thank you again to Oliso for sponsoring.
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Ada
But is there, since the blades are concave, is there a cutting technique to keep our scissors functioning well or better? Let’s say, like if we cut fabric in a certain way, will that, I don’t know, make it duller faster?
Ursula
No, I’d say it’s more about how you’re taking care of them rather than one specific technique. So storing them properly, oiling them when you’re finished, not putting them down too roughly on your table or your floor, because that can damage the button, which causes alignment issues. So I think in terms of cutting technique, it’s also what feels best. Just it’s what feels best to your hand because it’s going to be different for everybody.
Roy
And also just one note, we usually say no air cutting. So what air cutting means is just kind of you are cutting air with the scissors. What it does is that when you’re cutting air, you’re actually sort of grinding the two blades for no reason. So that will make the scissors dull faster as well. Yeah.
Ada
So when you say proper storage and oiling, can you walk us through, do we keep, you do a lovely job in these nice felt pouches, which we appreciate because A, plastic free and B, very nice to transport in. Are we storing it in those? Are we hanging them up on hooks? And are we oiling? Like we know where to oil in our sewing machines. There’s usually like a dot or something. There’s no dot or something on the scissors. So where are we oiling and what kind of oil are we using?
Ursula
Okay, so I’ll start with storage. If you’re purchasing from LDH as you mentioned, we have some of our scissors come in a felt pouch. Our shears and our snips come in a box. If you’re storing them short term or long term, we recommend just keeping them in the packaging. It’s what they’ve been designed for. And if you have purchased somewhere else, you don’t have that option, maybe you’ve gotten rid of the packaging. My first recommendation is to put it into a sewing basket or something that isn’t necessarily hanging on the wall. If you trust your wall hooks, ah feel free. But I would recommend a basket just to make sure that they are tucked away, nice and cozy, and nothing’s to kind of jostle them around. Because if you open a drawer with like a loose scissor, it’s going to kind of shift all over the place.
Roy
True.
Ursula
So another option for storage if you don’t have boxes is a sheath for your blades because that provides a bit of extra protection, not just from jostling around, but also from moisture and humidity in the air too. So that’s really good. And for oiling, the oiling is something that you can do once a month, but it really depends on how often you’re using your scissors. We know a lot of people who like to oil them after every project. And what you can do for storage is put a layer of oil on top of the blades or anywhere there is exposed metal, and then put them away because that again is going to protect from any moisture or humidity in the air. We actually have multiple videos on our social media as well as a blog post on specifically how to oil. So if you prefer written content, we have that. If you prefer visual content, we have that as well.
Roy
Yeah. And we actually, I can’t talk too much about this, but we actually will have a maintenance kit that will come out soon.
Ursula
Coming soon.
Roy
So that would make everything a lot easier for everybody trying to figure it out. Yeah.
Nicole
I’m still doing things wrong. Sounds like.
Ada
I’m not oiling after every time. Once a month sounds like a reasonable ask though. So it’s like when you’re changing out your needles in between projects, also think about your scissors.
Ursula
Well, to be fair, I don’t change my needle after every project. So, I mean, everyone has different kind of priorities, I guess. *laughs*
Nicole
Busted.
Ursula
But I baby my tools. I know. I do baby my scissors.
Nicole
So what are some signs maybe that we’re not used to seeing that it’s time to sharpen your scissors, your shears?
Ursula
Honestly, if they don’t cut or if you’re struggling to cut. Yeah. I don’t think there’s anything to…
Roy
Yeah. Yeah. Well, just if you feel like a small nick or like a chip on your blade, then it’s probably time to get a quick, quick sharpen.
Ursula
That could also be a sign that you need to clean your scissors more. Because sometimes a nick can occur if there’s too much buildup on your blade or you’ve cut something recently that’s a bit hard on your scissors. So you just give them a if you don’t want to fully oil, you can just quickly wipe them off with a cloth and that’s good too. Yeah.
Ada
Clean your scissors. I’m going to throw this in there. Clean your serger lint. Did that yesterday. Clean the serger lint, or not the serger lint, but the threads and stuff that gets stuck underneath your bobbin. Your scissors count. You need to clean them too. I’m wondering, it sounds like how often you sharpen might depend on how often you’re using the scissors. How do we find a good sharpener where we live or should we be DIYing it? Is it that easy? What are kind of the things that you would look for for a place that does good sharpening?
Ursula
Yeah, so that’s a really good question. It could be a little tricky, but I guess try to make sure that they’ve sharpened scissors before. And this is kind of only half of a joke, but if you can, a lot of the time sharpeners will go to farmers markets, for example. We’ve seen that actually quite a lot in Toronto. If you could spend maybe like one of those days kind of just, you know, go look over, see, oh, what are they sharpening? Maybe they’re sharpening some scissors. That’s kind of a good indication. If you truly can’t find anybody though, actually we offer free sharpening for all of our tools. You just have to send them back to us in Canada. Otherwise, I have heard good things about finding ice skate sharpeners.
Nicole
Oh.
Ursula
Simply because they also have to sharpen at an angle. And that’s kind of the tricky part about scissors sometimes is every single manufacturer and every single one of their tools have different angles at which they sharpen. And so to be able to completely follow that edge is really the skill that you’re looking for. So you can try an ice skate sharpener if that’s all you have. But otherwise you can send them to us as well.
Nicole
When I was a kid, I iceskated for a little bit and I never really got great at it. Not that you all needed to know that.
*laughs*
Nicole
But I, it’s funny when you say ice skate sharpener, I remember having to go to the store and this was like probably the mid nineties. And it was this huge thing that you would just run the ice skate, the whole ice skate with the blade like through, um and it was DIY. And, um, I imagine you’re saying find a person that does it, not like, yeah.
Ursula
Wow. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. DIYing, I mean, a lot of people ask us, oh, what about, you know, the aluminum foil trick? Does that, I, I you know, some people will swear up and down that it’s worked. Really what’s happening with aluminum foil is that it’s it’s cleaning your blade. It’s not making it sharper. And that’s simply because in order to actually sharpen, you have to remove a layer of metal. And only something abrasive can do that. And aluminum foil is not abrasive. So sometimes if you really are in a tight spot, you can try really fine grit sandpaper. But honestly, do it one time. Don’t continue doing it. Do try to find a professional sharpener after that. And that’s when you’re going to have the best results.
Nicole
Yeah, I don’t want to do that. Yeah.
Ursula and Roy
It’s a little scary. Yeah.
Nicole
I don’t trust them myself. I shall leave the sharpening to the professionals. And great insight on the aluminum foil. I have heard that as well. I’m pretty satisfied with that for like regular paper cutting scissors, but for cutting tools that I’ve invested in and, you know, lovingly take care of and use a lot. I would probably go to a professional. I realize there’s privilege in that, and it’s good to know that you all offer scissor sharpening. Just got to figure out the logistics there. You did mention that aluminum cleans the shears. And earlier you had mentioned, you know, cleaning the blades is like something that you would do including oiling. So can you just tell me a little bit about how we should be cleaning? Are we using soap and water? Are we using towels? Are we using my microfiber cloth? like What’s a good way to let’s say clean your scissors after every project. Yeah. How about after every project, which we would assume is anywhere between eight to 20 hours or something like that.
Ursula
For cleaning after every project, if you really don’t want to oil, you can actually just wipe the blades down of any visual fibers that you see. And you can actually just use a scrap piece of cloth. I personally don’t recommend using paper towel only because I find it to be a little abrasive. But if that’s what you have, you can feel free. If you have the time to oil, you can definitely do so. And I can give like a quick overview of how to do that as well.
Nicole
Yeah, would love to.
Ursula
Alright. On our shears, and I’m just holding up a pair for anyone not watching on YouTube, the areas that you want to oil are going to be both sides of the blades as well as the insides of the blades. So in here and then also in here. And when you open up the shears fairly wide, there’s also the part that’s underneath the button as well. And this gets neglected quite a lot, but actually it’s quite important for the overall function. And then the last part is going to be this button area, button or pivot area. So you’re going to take, again, a piece of scrap fabric that has been saturated in some oil. Sewing machine oil is perfect if you have that. If you don’t, I’ve also used cooking oil before. If you don’t mind, you know, the smell of like an olive oil scissor, it’s totally fine. So you take your cloth and you’re going to just simply wipe it along both sides of the blades on the inside as well. And then you don’t forget the inside part. And then when it comes to this button or pivot area, you can either really just try to saturate it with your cloth on both sides. If you have sewing machine oil that comes in a little dropper bottle, you can also try to get some, drop some oil right into the middle there on both sides as well. And then when you want to take the oil off, again, just some scrap fabric. Just really try to get that off. Otherwise, you might end up staining your next project and we don’t want that. But we don’t recommend soap and water. No, no soap and water and not your dishwasher. We’ve actually been asked that before. Not your dishwasher. Yeah. Please. And thank you.
Nicole
I, I would never. The disrespect. Oh my goodness. Oh, that makes me like, like that just, oh, okay. That hurt. It hurt. And I’m not even a cutting shears or cutting tools maker. Okay. Thank you for those tips. And that is a great reminder for folks who are listeners to hop over on our YouTube and follow us and look at the instructions that the visual instructions that Ursula gave. So thank you for that. Any last minute, any last thoughts on shears? Because we’re going to talk about rotary cutters next.
Roy
I would say just, you know, shears and scissors are just so personal. So I would recommend anybody and everybody just to go out there and try every brand because every brand kind of, you know, they kind of feel different. So go out there and try all kinds of brands, all kinds of scissors and find the one that really fits you.
Nicole
All right. And with that, let’s move on to my preferred cutting implement, the rotary cutter.
Ursula
Ooh.
Nicole
And I’m, you know, you are LDH scissors, but I’m glad to see that you all have a rotary cutter line as well. And the first thing I want to ask, because this has come up before, listeners know that I volunteer to teach at a social services agency, uh, teach sewing. The way that you hold hold rotary cutters in one way, and then others hold it in a different way. Do you have any recommendations for how to hold or use rotary cutters safely and, you know, selecting the right one for your project?
Nicole
Tell me what to do.
Ursula
Okay. So, for our, I’d say the biggest number, like the biggest tip that we can give is when you put your rotary cutter away after you’ve used it. And not even just the way, actually, you’re just putting on a table to go do something over here. Like move your fabric, cover the blade. You have to close the blade guard. Number one, no cuts, please. That’s, oh my gosh. it makes me feel awful thinking about it. And in terms of holding the rotary cutter, I know some people prefer to hold it with, say, the blade. Yeah, the blade is down that way. That can be ergonomic, but I find that it gives you less control over what you’re doing. So if you can hold it with the blade up, that would be the safest way. Yeah, almost like… Hold it almost like a knife, instead of holding it like a what’s something that goes upside down? Like a paintbrush. Don’t kind of hold it like a paintbrush, if that makes sense.
Nicole
Mm-hmm.
Ursula
It’s just about the control because when you have an exposed spinning blade, you really just want as much control as possible.
Nicole
I’m laughing because people don’t think about safety and I don’t. I have put my rotary cutters down with the blade open. I have.
Ursula
No.
Nicole
I know. I’m sorry. I will do better. But when you say it when you said open spinning blade, I was like, oh, man, that really puts it into perspective in terms of the safetiness that you need to have. But yeah. Yeah, great tip. I know that I started holding it down like this, but this was only after a few years of holding it like this. So I think for me, it’s a I got used to the feel and I felt like I was able to use more.
Ursula and Roy
Mm.
Nicole
But it’s good to know that the professionals say, let’s try with this, hold it in like a knife. I like that. Cause I, when I, and again, listeners, you gotta go to YouTube. When I put the rotary cutter up, I had put my finger on and I wasn’t quite at the top. Wasn’t quite sure. But when you said like a knife, I’m like, there’s no way I would hold a knife like that. So full grip down.
Ursula and Roy
Yeah. Yeah.
Nicole
And that’s really helpful. Do you think that the way that you hold the rotary cutter impacts the longevity of the blade?
Ursula
Yes. Yeah. As well as the type of mat that you’re using. Cause you’re putting so much pressure on the blade when you’re using it, as opposed to, like a scissor. It’s just, it’s really different. Again, it’s, it’s actually more similar to a knife than like a scissor is. Cause when you are putting that pressure on it, you’re digging the blade into essentially the mat is plastic. You’re also cutting some of the plastic. So the harder that you go- ahh how do you say this – the harder that you go yeah.
Nicole
There’s more pressure on the blades.
Roy
Yeah exactly. Yeah and one trick, one thing about rotary cutter is that if you are pushing if you’re forcing it to cut too much then it’s probably time to change the blade and it’s actually more dangerous to actually push and force the cutter to cut through.
Ursula
True. And actually that’s another good safety tip is use sharp blades. Don’t use dull blades. Cause as Roy is saying, you get less control, you’re putting more pressure on it. And actually, because it’s such a thin piece of sharp metal, you’re going to find that it’s more likely to break. And then pieces everywhere.
Nicole
Okay.
Roy
Yeah, and that goes to the next tip that we have is that we don’t actually sharpen rotary blades. Just because it’s such a thin piece of metal, because for sharpening, you’re actually shaving off the metal, and because it’s such a thin piece of metal, it could become brittle. So it could break the more you sharpen the blade.
Nicole
I have seen products that claim to sharpen rotary blades, like a DIY sort of crank thing. Is it your recommendation to just get new blades and not try that?
Roy
Yeah yeah for safety reasons I would say just get a new blade yeah
Ursula
We’ve seen a lot of people saving their dull blades for paper and so if you yeah it’s a great way to get that last sort of ah juice out of it so we recommend that. Even though I think the machines do technically work it’s just not something that we recommend doing
Nicole
I do that. Okay, fair enough. I think I’ve not attempted to sharpen my own rotary blades. And because again, for the reason why I won’t try with a super fine grit sandpaper on my shears, I don’t trust myself.
*laughs*
Nicole
And okay, that’s great. So what are some maintenance tips for rotary cutters in terms of cleaning and storage?
Ursula
I’d say the storage is about the same as shears or snips. For our cutters, they do come in the reusable felt bag. It’s great to just slide them into there. And if you don’t have that, again, like a sewing basket or something secure so they’re not being jostled around,
Roy
I would say, you know, pop into the dishwasher once a while.
Nicole
No. Roy, no.
Ursula
He’s the one that asked. *laughs*
Roy
No, but I would say just, ah ah you know, disassemble the parts, you know, give it a quick clean, oil it a little bit, and just take good care of it. I think that will be fine, yeah. Yeah.
Nicole
For the oiling, would you put it, would you do just like the sides of the blade or would you just do like a drop in the, you know what, I don’t know what the button, I guess this is called the button, yeah, on these.
Ursula and Roy
The button. Yeah.
Ursula
Yeah. And you can actually, you can disassemble that. And then the, um, hole that’s in the middle of the blade, you can give that a quick oil because that’s where the friction is when it’s moving against the screw that’s keeping everything together. Yeah. I’ll keep it nice and smooth.
Nicole
Okay. And just soft cloth. No dishwasher, Roy, no dishwasher.
Roy
No dishwasher.
Nicole
Um. That’s good to know.
Roy
Wait. you know what It’s great for cutting pizza if you want to just give it a quick slice.
Nicole
You’ll need the bigger size for that one. So I believe you have a couple sizes, your rotary cutters. Is that correct?
Ursula
Yeah, we have the 45 mmand 60 millimeter, but we also have blades in 28 mmas well.
Nicole
Okay.
Ursula
Just not the handle.
Roy
Working on it right now.
Nicole
Oh, okay. That’s good to know. And for our listeners, I know some folks I’ve encountered only use the one size. Ah ah yeah. Usually it’s a 45mm, which is the one size that I started with as well. But there are other sizes. How do you recommend people use the other sizes, like the 60mm and the 28mm, if they have them?
Ursula
So the 28mm is really good for cutting curves and really small projects. We see a lot of 28 mm cutters being used with like making lingerie, underwear, bras, things like that. The 60 mm is really, really great for cutting long straight lines. So that can include cutting out garment patterns, bag patterns, or thick materials. So if you’re someone who likes to make jeans or bags, for example, and you’re cutting like very thick, like canvas, then to the 60 mm is going to be easier for you to cut through those materials. And then the 45mm is really your do-it-all. So it’s hard to go wrong. Honestly, it’s whatever you prefer.
Nicole
Yeah, I learned size as I started to sew more. I learned that the 28mm is really nice for curves, especially on things like since I’m primarily a Garment Sewist like pocket curves and all that. And I’ve started to dabble in some quilting and the big one is great for just getting through more.
Ursula
Ooh. Yeah.
Nicole
And yeah, so listeners, you know, if you have the opportunity to see if different sizes can work for you, I definitely recommend it. My last question about rotary cutters, and this kind of leads a lot to safety, or this is all part of the safety conversation, is how do you safely dispose of your used blades?
Ursula
So first of all, it’s important to check your municipality’s recycling guidelines because it’s really going to vary quite a lot. I’d say you probably have about two options. One is to take them to your local recycling center if they don’t come and pick it up on recycling day, for example. Or one thing that we like to do is… you can either put them all into a recyclable container. And then when you, when that’s filled up, you can then put that into your recycling. You can put them in between like pieces of cardboard as well and kind of secure that with something that’s recyclable, like twine, for example, you can just wrap it, like tie it with some twine. So those are a couple of ways that we’ve gotten them into recycling before. Yeah.
Nicole
We got to protect the folks that are helping us out with our disposal.
Ursula and Roy
We do. We do.
Nicole
Yeah. Okay. That’s really helpful information. And again, yes, check your municipality. I know at least in the States, recycling is different, literally town by town and what’s available to each, to each person. Anything else about rotary cutters I think would be helpful for listeners to know?
Ursula
Good question. Honestly, I guess really, ah ah just use what’s most comfortable to you.
Roy
Yeah, you know, I love our cutters because they’re very cool. They’re actually the only all-black cutters on the market. And the blades are black. We love it. So yeah. Yeah.
Nicole
Ada and I were talking about how we realized we were describing the midnight edition as like a car, you know, like all black, cuts smoothly.
Ursula and Roy
Yeah. *laughs*
Nicole
I was like, are we talking about a vehicle or a rotary cutter? And that, it is very cool. I will say that I purchased a few years ago… from your second sale, which I think is amazing. Maybe we Maybe I’ll just ask you about that first. So tell me about the section of your website that is called Seconds.
Ursula and Roy
Yeah.
Ursula
Sure. So with the hand crafting process, I mean, because there are multiple pairs of hands that go into making our tools, sometimes there’s some human error. So there might be a scratch here, a scuff there. Really, it’s just aesthetic. It’s not affecting the way that the tool cuts. So instead of us just getting rid of them, we offer them at a discount. And it’s been really excellent to be able to offer, I think, the different price points because we want to make our tools as accessible for everyone as possible.
Roy
Yeah, and they’re covered by our 10-year warranty, so there’s nothing to worry about.
Nicole
Great. I mean, I won’t be sticking any of my tools into the dishwasher, but I’m not going to void the warranty, I think.
Ursula
Also, the cutting of the pizza might void the warranty.
Nicole
Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. We’ll have to read the fine print on that. But yeah, I loved that you offered it. That was my entry point into your company before, maybe before the podcast, maybe not. I don’t even remember. I think I think I saw your… Oh, you know what? Someone was cutting a ridiculous amount of layers on social media of denim or something. I think…
Ursula and Roy
Wow.
Nicole
So that worked on me. But yeah, I can attest to the fact that the seconds I have the snips, the shears and the pinking shears from the Prism set and I get tons of compliments and I’m like, well, you know where to go to get them. But yeah, I love that in your manufacturing process and your business, you think about not everything being disposable, if it’s not perfect. So, you know, I guess just from me, thank you for making it more accessible to folks. I really love that you have that.
So as we wrap up, there are a couple things I did want to ask you about, like, more specific tools that you offer as well. What are some considerations for keeping pinking shears and snips in their tip top shape? And then I do want to ask about sharpening pinking shears and potentially seam rippers, but I’ll start with taking care of your pinking shears and your snips.
Ursula
They’re actually quite similar. I would say for pinking shears and snips, so you want to use them on one layer or two sort of thin layers of fabric. And depending on… really for the snip, depending on what you are cutting and the style of the snip, just try to stick to exactly what it’s used for. Because a snip is not a fabric shear, right? A pinking shear is not a fabric shear. So it’s going to cut different. It’s going to feel different. You can absolutely oil them too though. So we always recommend that. Absolutely baby your tools. And in terms of the sharpening, you know,
Roy
Yeah, everything is sharpenable. Pinking shears are hard to sharpen, but we offer them for free for sharpening so they can send it back to us. But yeah, pinking shears a little bit trickier to sharpen, yes.
Ursula
Yeah. And that’s because you have to sharpen each tooth at the exact same angle the perfect way or else they just won’t work again.
Nicole
Yeah. Yeah, but you do it.
Ursula and Roy
Yeah. We do it. Yeah.
Nicole
Incredible, incredible. I wanted to ask about seam rippers because I, at one point, bought a really beautiful double-edged seam ripper from while I was on vacation. And like beautiful, the handle was wood that was native to the place I was at. I took it home and they were dull. They don’t rip nothing.
Ursula and Roy
Oh.
Nicole
So is there a way to revive seam rippers? And if the answer is no, it’s okay. I’ll just cry after this episode’s over.
Ursula and Roy
*laughs* You know what this might be the best time to bust out the sandpaper to be honest with you
Roy
Yeah give it a try yeah.
Ursula
Because you can’t really because of the shape you know it’s actually really difficult to get into that area so yeah i mean we haven’t tried it
Roy
we haven’t tried it yeah
Ursula
Maybe sandpaper you can try it you can let us know you let us know
Nicole
Okay. Okay. You know what? I will.
Ursula
Yeah do it do it do it
Nicole
I will. So are there any other last tips for our listeners about how to take care of their cutting tools?
Ursula and Roy
You just baby them. Be gentle. Yeah.
Roy
Be gentle.
Ursula
Tell them you love them. Yeah. And oil them. Like, honestly, I think the most underrated thing you can do is give them a nice oil and then put them away.
Roy
Give them a little bit of a massage there.
Ursula
But yeah, oiling them is like our number one tip time and time again.
Nicole
I would have never thought to do that. So… We really appreciate you coming on and telling our listeners and myself, because yes, I have, I attended the talk that LDH gave at H&H America’s 2025. And it was like, oh, I have to be oiling. It’s good for me to know again. It’s great for listeners who maybe don’t know about it. And shears are one of those things that when taken good care of, they’re generational pieces.
Ursula and Roy
Yeah.
Nicole
Ah I know people that have shears that are like, this was my grandmother’s pair of shears. And I think that’s a really beautiful thing and a way to honor our craft and teach us to really love things so that they last. And with that, where can our listeners find you?
Ursula
So you can find us on Instagram @LDH_scissors. We’re on Facebook, LDH scissors, and TikTok as well. Same handle and online LDH scissors.com. And also every time you think about scissors, you just think about us. We’ll be there.
Roy
Yeah, we’ll be there. Yeah. All day, all night.
Nicole
If you’re going to be there for that for that much, you’ve got to oil them. Oil. oil.
Ursula and Roy
That’s true. Yep.
Nicole
Get them in there.
Ursula
If there’s a little Ursula and Roy on your shoulder while you’re using scissors any time of the day, oil, oil them. Don’t forget.
Nicole
It’s not the angel and the devil. It’s both working in concert to tell you.
Ursula
That’s right. It’s the peer pressure. Do it.
Nicole
Yeah. And I’m sure you won’t regret it.
Ursula
That’s right. Thank you so much for having us.
Roy
It’s been a fun time.
Nicole
Yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much for coming on. Ada had to drop off a little bit earlier, but we really appreciate you reaching out to us. You have been one of the earliest supporters of our podcast and we love that you are, you know, here with us talking to us and I’m excited for our listeners to get to know you both a little bit better.
Ursula
Us too. Thank you so much.
Nicole
Thank you.
Ada
Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of the Asian Sewist Collective podcast. If you like our show, please consider supporting us on Ko-fi by becoming a one-time or monthly supporter or by buying our sewing labels. Your financial support helps us with our overhead expenses. The link to our coffee page is KO-FI .com Asian Sewist Collective and you can find the link in our show notes on our website and on our Instagram account. Check us out on Instagram at Asian Sewist Collective. That’s one word: Asian Sewist Collective. You can also help us out by spreading the word and telling your friends We would also appreciate it if you could rate review and subscribe to this podcast on Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast
Nicole
All of the links and resources mentioned in today’s episode will be in the show notes on our website That’s AsianSewistCollective.com and we’d love to hear from you. Email us with your questions, comments or even voice messages if you want to be featured on future episodes at AsianSewistCollective@gmail.com. Thank you so much to the other members of our collective who made this episode a reality. This is the Asian Sewist Collective podcast and we’ll see you next time.