Shears, Sewing Snips

These high quality precision snips are based on No. 340 (BWB83 [279] <125>) and 342 (BWB83 [279] <211>) in the the Museum of London Knives and Scabbards book.

In the present day scissors are more commonly used than shears but the exact opposite seems to have been true before the 14th C. Although medieval sources differentiate between types of shears, they do so without specifying what those differences are. Most of the shears in the Museum of London�s collection cannot be attributed to a specific purpose. The smaller shears are dateable to the late 14th and early 15th C. and are very consistent in form. This consistency leads to the suggestion that they represent the development of needlework or sewing shears, predecessors of the elaborate needlepoint scissors of the 16th and 17th C. We find them essential for sewing, grooming, fletching, netting and other handcrafts. You�ll find them a wonderful addition to your period kit and a very welcome gift!

High quality steel. About 4" long overall.