I've always admired the sharp scissors used by needleworkers, including the beautiful vintage style stork ones. Such elegant tools requires special cases to keep them safe. The Aussie bead artist, Margaret Tobin, or BeadingPastTimes, specializes in lovely beaded scissor and needle case patterns. 

Her designs are floral and geometric ones. Great gift idea to make for an embroidery or cross stitch enthusiast. 






A Brief History of Stork Scissors

Scissors were invented as a shearing tool some 3-4,000 years ago somewhere in the Middle East. Over the centuries, their shapes evolved to fit the different purposes. Hedge trimmers for example, have much longer handles than say, kitchen poultry scissors or metal shears.

About 200-300 years, midwives started to use stork shaped clamps to stem the blood flow in the umbilical cord after delivery.  This antique sterling silver midwife's clamp available from Prestige Gold UK shows a swaddled infant design when the instrument is opened. 



The myth of how storks brought babies began during the Medieval ages. Couples often married during the annual summer solstice, the timing of which was believed to improve fertility. Nine months later, babies would arrive in the spring, around the same time as storks returning to Europe after migrating to Africa for the colder months. 

In some places, like The Netherlands and Germany, storks nesting on rooftops were thought to be a sign that the homeowners below were going to be blessed with babies. The stork also became a convenient explanation to children of where babies come from when parents wished to dodge the question!

The myth was also popularized by Hans Christian Andersen who wrote a story called The Storks where storks brought dreaming babies from lakes and ponds to deserving families. But the tale had a gruesome twist. The storks would deliver dead babies to families with ill-behaved children.

Deliveries often took a long time. So midwives also packed their embroidery kits along with their medical ones so that they could be productive while they waited with the mothers-to-be.  So the stork clamps evolved to become scissors which was useful for cutting either umbilical cords or threads. 


Vintage Style Stork Scissors 

Enjoy this old Pixar short, Partly Cloudy, about a loyal and persevering stork. 


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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM