This is the seam ripper I use. You can buy replacement blades but the blades last forever so I doubt you would need to do it often. In ten years I have only replaced the blade once.

http://store.havelssewing.com/seamrippers.html

Barbara

I found a set of four that look like straight edge razors except the blade is very small at the Dollar Store. It was only at the store that really had things only for $1.00 though.

Jean,
Yes, you have it right. The reason I use the traditional seam ripper first is to be sure that I don't chew or stretch the fabric at the beginning. I have used it on some paper foundation piecing (20 stitches to inch) but be sure and watch that I am not pushing the cutter too far into the fabric. Good luck.

Diana

I finally found two in a package yesterday in a local store but had to pay $6.95 for it. What the heck, it's for a good cause!! And then that afternoon while piecing I had the opportunity to use it three times, and Wow! am I happy I went for it. Took me almost no time at all to take out the stitching, compared to before. Mine is like a pencil, with the razor comb at the top and has a little case for the head.

Thanks Diana for the offer!
I would never have thought to use what my mom calls clippers for stitch removal. Buy one of those and never pay for a man's haircut again.
If I were to use them for quilting removal, I start the removal with traditional seam ripper and then peel open and work from the inside?
You guys are great, thanks for the help

Jean in Windsor, ON (slowly working her way to quilting enlightenment)

Yes, Diana's is more like mine - which is not the nose hair trimmer thingy. ha

Jean in Windsor, ON
I posted a picture of mine and how I hold it when ripping in my profile. If all else fails, I can bring it to the Ann Arbor Quilt Guild this month if you are coming across the border.

Diana in Ann Arbor

Jean, I googled it and it came up with a picture, that I recognised as one of those personal trimmers for removing nose hair and old mens eyebrows. Lol. pam

Just follow the link in the second post. It's the pencil looking thing with bite.

Colour me confused .
Could someone put up a picture of this, so i can figure out what you guys are talking about. Not looking forward to the amount of quilting I need to remove. I've been putting it off, but do have a deadline coming up.

Jean in Windsor, ON

Mine is called a "Beard Trimmer" and it's just a small razor. Works beautifully! About $9 USA at Walgreens.

I do not know where you would find those razors "over there". I bought some, its in a pack of 5, and I did not pay more than 5$.
I have used it as a seam ripper :shock: ..I did free motion on a single sized quilt and uses it to unstitch the whole quilt

If you use it as a seam ripper you need to be very very careful!! You can make wholes in your quilt top easier that you can image.

This is a new one to me...I have one but have only used it to clean up the neck hair on my DH between haircuts....now I have to give it a good cleaning, then try it on a seam tear out.

I purchased one at Houston a couple of years ago. It was $15 and a bit pricey but I was in a project that had a lot of un-sewing involved. I didn't like it at first but found a technique that worked very well. I use a regular seam ripper for the first 3-4 stitches so that I can separate the two fabrics without stretching them. Then I insert the razor and it just glides through. The only thing that slides into the cutters is the thread and it cuts like butter. I have had zero fabric damage with it and less fabric distortion. There is generally one side that has a single thread to pull away and the normal litter on the other side just like a seam ripper.

Diana