My Scissors

Six years ago, I started teaching sewing classes at a residential sex trafficking shelter.

I thought I would be teaching a group of women and was immediately horrified by the fact that I would be teaching young students.

These students have been through hell and back and anything that could bring them harm, such as needles, pins or a pair of scissors were forbidden. This presented the first challenge; how do I teach sewing classes without a pair of scissors, pins or needles?

The most practical answer that I could think of at the time was to pre-cut all materials and supplies prior to coming to class and baste anything that would not stay together. When students were in class, if they needed to cut threads, they could use the cutting tool on their sewing machines, and we would avoid hand sewing at all times.

Pre-cutting materials and supplies for classes was difficult. Patterns had to be perfect in order to avoid excess materials that would need scissors to cut. Because confidence and self-esteem were so fragile with the students, I also had to make sure that projects would not create disappointment. (This can happen if patterns are not cut correctly or if a pair of scissors were needed to clip through corners or edges once sewn together.)

The transient nature of shelters created an atmosphere where new students were always coming in and end of term students left. New students coming in were under a 3-month psychiatric watch. During that time, if they were in our sewing class, they were not allowed access to sharp objects such as scissors. After passing the psychiatric watch, students deemed at low risk were eventually allowed to use scissors, but the scissors had to be in my possession and watchful eye at all times.

After waiting for nearly 4 months for the students to gain the ability to use scissors, when the first student picked up my scissors and attempted to use them, I nearly cried. “These don’t work” the student said. (The student did not know the scissors were being held incorrectly). I asked if I could touch their hand and the student said yes, so I re-positioned my scissors with the thumb and fingers in the correct direction. When the student attempted to use my scissors again, the student struggled to open and close them in order to cut the fabric. “Have you used a pair of scissors before?” I asked and the student replied “No.”

Here we were, waiting for four months for the students to gain the ability to use scissors and ½ of them did not know how to use a pair of scissors. I started working on hand strengthening exercises with the students and taught them how to make items like stress balls that would help to strengthen hands to cut fabric plus help with stress at the same time.

As the students’ hands strengthened and they were able to position the scissors correctly to cut fabrics, it felt like a liberation for them. They could cut their own fabrics and could shorten all the skirts that they made previously that were too long. New students coming in began to learn about gaining the ability to cut their own materials and mid/end of term students continued to exalt in freedom of learning how to cut fabrics.

The ability for the students to use scissors and cut their own fabrics became quite a challenge. Their ability to cut apparently had zero connection to their ability to conserve fabrics and often we would find a great piece of material or clothing with a huge hole cut in the center of it!

Many students said they loved the sound the scissors make when it is slicing and crunching through fabric. One student said, “cutting fabric sounds like a drum beating to the sound of a heartbeat.” Sometimes students would use the scissors to cut up a piece of fabric over and over again. As they did that, sometimes you could see the tears in their eyes as if they are cutting away excess pain. Other times the confidence and self-esteem they received by cutting out and making their own project brough them job and jubilance.

As time went on, we saw students come and go from the shelter. Upon leaving the shelter, they were gifted with a sewing machine, their own sewing kit and a pair of their own scissors.

I hope the students continue to use their scissors to become stronger. I hope they use their scissors to cut away anything that crosses their path. One day, once students recover and before other students are lured down that path, I hope that we can teach enough scissor skills to students so they are all strong enough to cut the chains of modern-day slavery and free all the students held in bondage.