Scissors

I have been cutting out pieces for the peacock feather tutu using a pair of handmade scissors that a friend bought for me in India:

I find them fascinating.  They are blade-heavy, and if you click on the photo for the larger version, you can see that there are decorative marks stamped into the blade.  The handles are interesting too – they have been filed into shape, and the file-marks are still visible.  It really hammers home that these are not just handmade, they are made by hand.

They are, of course, significantly more primitive than the sleek, Western-made scissors which I also own:

While the Western scissors are definitely easier to use – lighter and with easier action – the Indian ones are razor-sharp and cut four layers of silk duppioni just as well.  I have been using them, both because they work and because I enjoy working with handmade things – and, of course, because they remind me of my friend, who knew I would love them.

I’d love to write a more philosophical essay on the symbolism of this particular pair of scissors, but as I have my nose (or perhaps scissors 🙂 ) to the grindstone at the moment, it will have to wait.

Back to work.