jcrow

I bought the razor sharp curved blade ripper over a year ago and LOVE IT!!! There are two kinds. It doesn't have the name on it, but the other one isn't sharp AT ALL!!! I use the curved blade and use it every 3 stitches and then use the new seam ripper that is like an eraser and roll it over the thread pieces and pick up every piece of thread. The lint roller doesn't seem to work nearly as well as the eraser seam ripper. Well worth the money for it. It was very inexpensive. I don't use the seam ripper part, just the eraser part. I guess you can use an eraser instead of this new fangled seam ripper eraser, but it's probably not as fast.

Knitette

I do both too, but tend to favour the 'between the seams' method - as we're calling it, lol - on longer pieces. The Dritz Ergonomic ripper (purple - two sizes) is the best one I've used for this method. If it's a short piece I usually just unpick every 4 or 5 stitches and pull apart.

Jan in VA

New, very sharp rippers like Clover Brand are the ones to use for 'between the seam' ripping. It's very easy to push too hard on duller seam rippers and that's what can stretch fabric or cause you to cut the seam instead of the threads.
I use both methods carefully, depending in how new and sharp the seam ripper is; and I only use the Clover brand which I replace several times a year. I buy their little brown handled ones; they are less than $5 and I consider them like my cutting blades....change often.

Jan in VA

barny

I use the rotary cutter, but very carefully.

SittingPretty

I've tried the "in between the seam" method, but I always seem to cut my fabric. Now I stick with cutting every few threads on the bobbin side or "snip, pick and pull." That is, snip a stitch, pick out some stitches, turn over and pull the other thread. Tedious, but gets the job done, and I don't have all those little pieces to pick out.

JustAbitCrazy

Agree! I used the seam ripper in between with garment construction. But for quilting I take out stitches on the outside, cutting every third thread or so, just like you do.

annesthreads

Apologies if this is a stupid question - but how do you use a rotary cutter to unpick stitches? Can't figure it out!

annesthreads

Thanks for all the replies. I'm still in shock that it's taken 10 years for me to realise that there's an alternative way of using something as basic (and well-used!) as a seam ripper!

Woodster

Husbands say the darndest things!!

DebraK

interesting. Much like the scalpel method I imagine.