Favorite Notions #7

The Havel Seam Ripper and Buttonhole Cutter is one of the nicest sewing tools I've ever had the fortune to stumble upon.  I found out about it from one of the posters at patternreview.com and, having grown frustrated with conventional seam rippers(and tired of searching for ones that didn't get dull 5 minutes after I started using it), decided to give this one a try.  I must say I'm glad I did.  The thin blade and the sharp edge make it much easier to remove stitches and rip seams.  The handle is long enough to wrap your hand around comfortably (why do the small bladed conventional rippers always have those teeny little handles?).  And best of all, the blade is replaceable--you can buy a set of 6 replacement blades instead of having to get a whole new tool.  It did take me a little time to get used to this little guy--but once I did I realized how much better it was (for me, anyway) than a conventional seam ripper.

Alongside the seam ripper, is the buttonhole cutter.  This thing is like magic when it comes to cutting buttonholes.  I recently made another dress shirt for my oldest son and was about to cut the buttonholes when I remembered this handy dandy gizmo that's been sitting in a drawer, alone and forgotten.  The last buttonholes I cut, I used a tiny embroidery scissors and a seam ripper and honestly, it was so hard to keep from accidentally clipping the buttonhole stitches.  With this tool, you place the blade in between the satin stitches of your button hole and press gently but firmly.  Voila!  It cuts cleanly right where you place it.  I use this on my rotary cutting mat so as not to damage the surface underneath.  It fits perfectly into a 1/2" buttonhole--for larger sizes you have to reposition the blade and cut again.  I'm not sure how--or if--it would work with smaller sizes.

In any event, I like both these tools very much.  I might pick up the stainless steel version sometime, as I usually like my tools to have just a little bit of weight.  I'm also not that fond of throwaway tools, so I like that you buy replacements only for the blades -- the handles live on and on and on  :-)