the best seam ripper of all time....an xacto knife!

i've never been all that great with traditional seam rippers. having the sharpest part of the blade allll the way at the back is bad news for me and my fabric. usually it's because i get the pointy end stuck in the nice part of my fabric, and rip it. or i start sliding through the stitches and the fabric catches in the blade and i slice my pretty fabric instead of the stitches. basically i'm a disaster with a regular seam ripper.

so as crazy as it sounds, using something sharper{caution! i'm not lying, it's sharp!!} actually works better for me: an xacto knife!

 

you can {carefully} use the sharp, pointy blade to get yourself started or pick apart top-stitching. it's awesome for opening up buttonholes too! just make sure to use the straight pin trick ;)

but for regular rippin' of stitches, i love, love, love the rounded blade. you can glide between the layers without the pointy end getting caught on your fabric.

just lay the larger part of your item on your leg or work surface, and using the hand holding the knife, sandwich the fabric between the side of your palm and work surface/leg. then use your free hand to pull the other half/smaller side away, and voila! look at all those stitches to slice!

my favorite handle to use is the orange one shown above, made by fiskars. you just slip your pointer finger through the loop and press down. no more hand cramps from holding a regular, skinny handle. it also comes with a great blade cover and won't roll off your table!

ps, what is your favorite sewing/craft tool?