What Are Zig Zag Scissors Called and What They’re Used For? | Pinking Shears Explained

Zigzag scissors are called pinking shears, and they cut a sawtooth edge that shortens loose threads on woven fabric to limit fraying.

A straight cut on woven fabric unravels thread by thread, but a zigzag edge breaks that run into short segments, so raveling stops sooner. That single trick is why pinking shears have stayed in sewing boxes since Louise Austin patented a version in 1893. Below you’ll find the names these shears go by, what they genuinely fix, and where they fall short.

What Are Zigzag Scissors Actually Called?

The standard US sewing term is pinking shears; “zigzag scissors” and “zigzag-blade scissors” are descriptive labels that show up mostly in product listings. The name traces to an older meaning of the word pink — to pierce or cut decorative points into fabric.

Before the shears existed, a “pinking iron” was struck with a mallet to punch a decorative edge into cloth. The tool changed; the name stuck.

• Pinking shears — the term to use when shopping or asking a sewing shop for them.
• Zigzag scissors — a plain description of the blade shape, not a separate tool.
• Saw-toothed or serrated blades — how manufacturers describe the cutting edge; some models serrate both blades, others only one.

One clarification worth making early: pinking shears are built for fabric. They are not general-purpose scissors, and treating them that way is the fastest way to ruin them.

What Do Pinking Shears Do to Fabric Edges?

Pinking shears cut a zigzag that reduces fraying on woven fabric, finishes seam allowances without added bulk, and creates decorative edges on materials that don’t ravel. The anti-fray effect is real but partial.

Here’s why it works: each tooth of the blade cuts at a slight angle to the fabric’s grain, so a loose thread has to travel farther before it works free. On a straight cut, one pulled thread can unravel a whole seam allowance. On a pinked edge, that thread hits the next notch and stops.

What pinking does not do is make an edge permanently fray-proof. Fiber type, weave tightness, fabric thickness, and how often the garment gets washed all change the outcome. On a heavily worn seam, stitching, binding, or a serged edge will always outlast a pinked one.

Practical applications where pinking earns its keep:

• Seam allowances — trim the raw edge to control raveling without the bulk of a folded or stitched finish.
• Hems and facings — finish exposed edges where a low-bulk, slightly decorative edge is acceptable.
• Curved seams — pinking a curve clips and notches in one pass, so the seam presses flatter.
• Appliqué and trim bands — finish edges on felt, fleece, boiled wool, vinyl, leather, and nonwoven faux suede that barely ravel at all.

How Do You Use Pinking Shears Without Ruining the Cut?

Use pinking shears only for edge finishing, cut with the fabric deep between the blades rather than at the tips, and keep a separate pair of ordinary shears for cutting out pattern pieces. The American Sewing Guild specifically advises against using pinking shears to cut out entire projects.

1. Set the fabric on a flat, stable surface.
2. Test on a scrap or an inconspicuous edge first, especially with an unfamiliar fabric.
3. Insert the fabric well between the blades — tip-only cutting produces an uneven, ragged pattern.
4. Open and close the blades fully in controlled strokes while following your cutting line.
5. Cut one layer at a time if the shears chew, distort, or skip the fabric.

When it works, the edge shows a clean, repeating sawtooth with no crushed or dragged threads. If the fabric looks mashed instead of cut, the blades are dull or misaligned — stop and address that before continuing.

If you’re comparing models before buying, this roundup of tested zig zag scissors for fabric work covers handle styles and blade options side by side.

What Should You Never Cut With Pinking Shears?

Keep pinking shears away from paper, cardboard, metal-containing materials, and anything adhesive-coated, because those dull or damage fabric blades. Cutting paper with sewing shears is the single most common mistake.

Care is simple. Brush lint and debris from the blades, add a small amount of oil to the hinge now and then (never the blades), and wipe off any excess before the shears touch fabric. Store them closed in a case or fabric pocket, don’t drop them — impact knocks blades out of alignment — and keep them out of reach of children.

Rounded tips and offset handles exist and can reduce snagging or keep your hand clear of the material, but those are features of specific products, not universal specs. Check the individual listing. For the documented history and terminology, the reference entry on pinking shears covers the Austin patent and the pinking-iron era.