Definition
A seam ripper, or quick unpick, is a small hand tool with a sharp fork that cuts stitches so a seam can be taken apart without damaging the fabric.
Every sewist uses one, and it says nothing bad about your sewing. A seam ripper has a long, sharp point that slides under a stitch and a curved blade in the fork that cuts it. The shorter prong ends in a small ball that protects the fabric when you push the tool along a seam.
The careful way to unpick a seam:
- From the wrong side, slide the point under one stitch and cut it. Repeat every three or four stitches along the seam.
- Turn the work over and pull the thread on the other side: it comes out in one long piece.
- Remove the short cut threads with a lint roller or a piece of tape.
The fast way, sliding the ball between the two layers and running the blade along the seam, is fine on sturdy fabric but can cut the fabric itself on fine or loose weaves.
A seam ripper also opens buttonholes: put a pin across each end as a stop and push the point from each end toward the middle. It removes basting and gathering threads, and takes out serger seams once you cut the needle threads.
Replace it when it no longer cuts cleanly, because a blunt ripper pulls and tears threads. For the other basic tools to keep beside it, see essential sewing tools for beginners.