My Fiskars History

My long history with Fiskars began in Denver, Colorado, USA, 1975, as a Designers Assistant at a children’s modestly priced clothing factory. For a year, I was the sample cutter for three designers. I had a big cutting table in a corner of a factory with over 100 sewing machines. I spent 8 hours a day cutting small shapes, like toddlers shorts and shirts, with huge heavy scissors that got sharpened rarely. Difficult, awkward, just tiring to use, plus I needed to keep a first aid kit handy. One evening I was in the fabric department of a major store downtown Denver when I saw the word Swedish. Being half Swedish, it caught my attention and a detailed examination. I checked it out and Checked Out with Fiskars Swedish Surgical Steel sewing scissors. Painless, 1/4 the size of my industrial whackers, lightweight, neat, cleaner cuttings. My days, my quality of life improved significantly. Seriously, 8 hours a day of holding a heavy tool? Made a noticeable difference to lighten up. Even had more working space with the first aid kit off my table and out of sight.

I packed my Fiskars and moved to Toronto, Canada and worked on character costumes and props for television commercials and theme parks. I also started selling my original artworks, wallhangings and paintings in stores and art fairs. I remember one of my works hanging in Toronto Humane Society and one in Toronto Western Hospital.

I have also used Fiskars working at two different sail maker lofts, in construction of racing sails for boats 24 - 50’ feet long. Very picky, precise cutting and shaping of a mix of fabrics. Also boat covers and assorted gear covers to stay on out to sea and in severe weather.

I have destroyed several popular portable sewing machines with assorted industrial sun blocking fabrics from shirt weights to canvas. When home sewing machines were made with more and more plastic parts, it was rough going. Return to more metal parts helped, but even metal parts stretch out of useful shape with use they were not intended for. But you name it, I could cut the fabric easily, even if it had to be hand stitched.

In Los Angles in 1995 I started getting freelance, on location work because I could bring my small shop tools to sets and set shops. I showed up in a compact car with paints, brushes, mechanical tools, 3 or more sewing machines (no time for repairs, just buy small and switch them out) and always the same 3 pairs of scissors. I could cut, paint, fit and assemble parts to props during construction. I made many walk around costumes, like a 14’ tall ketchup bottle for a burger commercial, colorful finches, critters and products, huge red Christmas bows to put on white cars, and a lot of scaled down window treatments for New York, New York Hotel in Las Vegas.

I have tried other brands of scissors. I have donated all of the other ones I have tried to good causes. For light use they can do a lot of good. They can have them.

Personally I have upholstered two sailboats and two RVs. The outdoor furniture covers in the photo are made from a huge boat shade cover I made for our sailboat to use in the Bahamas. We did not need a massive shade cover in the Pacific Northwest, where I spend summers in a National Reserve working on cracking a code to eliminate some noxious weeds without harming native plants. Those stand up clippers are great, I suspect I would have quit a year ago without those. I am still constantly impressed with how effective these tools can be with no noise, no odor, no batteries and are easy to carry around in a woods.