I think in the 1970s that when one would order something...a sewing pattern or magazine, the company would send a free stork embroidery scissors.
The scissors were cheap and I didn't enjoy using them. I actually prefer using a baby manicure scissor when I sew. The blunt ends help prevent me nipping the fabric by mistake.
Beth was telling me about the origin of stork scissors. I had never heard this before...or I forgot it.😐
Apparently midwives used stork scissors in the 19th century---but they were used as clamps not scissors. The clamps were used to stop the blood flow to the umbilical cord in a baby. I found a few photos online.
See that little pocket above. The inlay is to accomodate the other side of the stork's body:
The folklore around storks and babies may go back as early as the Ancient Greeks. There's lots of different stories on the internet and I won't enthrall you with all of them. Here are some good links: BBC, Live Science.
Were you ever told about the stork delivering babies? We weren't but we knew enough from popular culture. When my kid brother was born, there were a lot of stork cards sent. 😄
Do you have a pair of stork scissors? Do you use them a lot?
Have a safe and happy day!
I inherited my grandmother's stork scissors. She died in 1964. I display them with other sewing items like my great-grandmother thimble from the other side of the family. I've always treasured them.
ReplyDeleteMine are loose and don't cut well at all.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard the story behind stork scissors, interesting to know. Thank you for sharing! I don't have one, but always found them beautiful. I heard about the stork and babies, but were never told that's how it is! lol
ReplyDeleteI have a pair of stork scissors but I didn't like them, they didn't fit my fingers well. I think they were popular just because they were different than regular scissors. My parents never told us babies came from storks. I grew up on a dairy farm so we learned at a young age about reproduction.
ReplyDeleteI leave my stork scissors out in a prominent place so the scissor users see them first...and use them instead of my good scissors!
ReplyDelete