Beyond scissors: Creative uses for pinking shears in felt flower making

Scissors are a must-have for any felt flower project, but if you’re looking to get even more creative, pinking shears can be a great addition for creating unique and beautiful textured felt flowers. They’re often used as a practical tool to prevent fraying on fabric edges, but with felt crafting (which doesn't fray!), pinking shears offer a huge amount of creative potential.

Types of pinking shears

You’re probably most familiar with zigzag edge pinking shears, often used to prevent fabric from fraying, but I also love grabbing my scalloped-edge shears when I want to add some texture and detail to felt projects. Both types of pinking shears are widely available online. Look for those which are sold as suitable for dressmaking or sewing, to ensure they are suitable for cutting felt, and check whether they are designed for right-handed or left-handed users. When it comes to sizes, check the ‘sawtooth’ size: this will tell you how wide the zigzag or scallop will be on your felt. I use zigzag shears with a sawtooth size of 5mm, and scalloped edge shears with a sawtooth size of 7mm.

Getting creative with pinking shears in felt flower making

Here are some of my favourite crafting techniques for using pinking shears in my felt flower projects. You’ll find some of the examples used in my felt flower tutorials, available in my Etsy shop, or as part of my Happy Flower Makers club.

1. Textured petals
   The classic zigzag edge is great for adding a textured edge to felt flower petals. This works particularly well for flowers with naturally ruffled or fringed edges, like cosmos which you can find in both my Sunshine Bee Bouquet and Sunrise Peony Bouquet. I recommend cutting your petal shapes out with standard scissors first, then using the pinking shears to edge the parts of the petal you want to add texture to. The result is soft, three-dimensional petals that add a touch of whimsy to your blooms. And it’s not just zigzag shears that can be used in this way. In my 2024 spring/summer Makealong, I used my scalloped-edge scissors to edge the petals of my statice flowers (pictured below). You can catch up with all parts of my Makelong now by becoming a member of Happy Flower Makers. 
   
   
   
2. Flower centres:
   Pinking shears can also be used to help speed-up the cutting of fringed flower inner strips where you want to add a zigzag or scallop edge. Start by cutting your strip with standard scissors, then use pinking shears to cut along the top edge. Be sure to line up the cut edges when using the pinking shears along a long strip of felt. Now use your standard scissors to make cuts along the felt strip, at the ‘dips’ in your zigzags or scallops, to create a fringed effect. Strips like these can be used rolled up, or rolled around a felt ball, to create pretty flower centres. Pictured below: cosmos flower with scalloped-edge inner strip and zigzag edged petals, from my Sunrise Peony Bouquet. 
   
   
   
3. Delicate leaves:
   If your felt flower leaves are looking a bit flat, try adding some texture with your pinking shears. Use standard scissors to cut out the simple leaf shapes first, then snip tiny notches along the edges with pinking shears. This helps to create a more natural, leafy texture to complement your felt flowers.
   
   
4. Decorative accents: felt flower embellishments
   Pinking shears don’t just have to be used for cutting edges. Using them to create felt flower embellishments can add a real touch of personality and creativity to your projects. Why not try digging into your felt scraps stash and cutting up lots of strips and shapes using pinking shears, then attaching these to some plain petals with clear-drying PVA glue? The results are some unique, colourful and fabulous felt flowers! 
   
   
   
5. Beyond felt flowers: felt scraps projects
   Just like adding decorative accents to petals, pinking shears can be used on a whole range of felt crafting projects to add some extra texture, depth and fun. Try layering semi circles of felt – some left plain and some with pinked edges, to create gift tags and earrings. And simple felt ‘ricrac’ cut using scalloped or zigzag edged pinking shears can add a special touch to all sorts of creations, just like my daisy corner bookmarks, pictured below (tutorial available through my Happy Flower Makers club).
   
   
   

Top tips for using pinking shears:

• Use sharp pinking shears for clean cuts. Dull blades could create ragged edges.
• If you’re cutting along a long edge where you need to make more than one cut with your pinking shears, be sure to line up the cut edge with the blade of your shears before making subsequent cuts. This will help ensure a continuous neat edge to your felt.
• Experiment with different sizes of pinking shears for a variety of textures.
• Consider the type of flower you're creating - some styles benefit more from pinking than others.
• Don't be afraid to get creative! Pinking shears offer endless possibilities for adding unique details to your felt flowers and other felt projects.

With a little imagination and some simple tools, you can elevate your crafting from simple to stunning with these creative ways to cut felt flowers. So, grab your felt, unleash your creativity, and get ready to see the magic of felt flowers unfold!