How do I keep my scissors sharp?

One rule does most of the work: fabric shears cut fabric and nothing else. Paper is abrasive and blunts a blade faster than anything else in the room. So does card, tape, plastic packaging and anything with adhesive on it.

Own a second pair for everything else. Cheap scissors for paper patterns, tape and packaging, kept somewhere else entirely so they cannot be picked up by mistake. Some people tie a ribbon on the fabric shears; anything that makes the pair identifiable at a glance works.

Wipe the blades after cutting fabric that sheds — fleece, corduroy, anything with a finish on it. Residue builds up along the cutting edge and makes a sharp pair feel dull.

Oil the pivot occasionally. A single drop of sewing machine oil at the screw, worked in by opening and closing, then wiped off completely so nothing transfers to fabric. Scissors that feel stiff are usually dry, not blunt.

Adjust the pivot screw if the blades have loosened. Too loose and the fabric slides between the blades instead of being cut; too tight and they bind.

Store them closed and dry, not loose in a drawer where the edges knock against other tools. Damp causes rust along the edge, which is the one form of damage that cannot be sharpened out.

Have them professionally sharpened rather than using a household sharpener, which grinds the wrong bevel on dressmaking shears.

Rotary blades are not sharpened, they are replaced — and a nicked blade skips fabric long before it feels blunt.