Remember the moment when you bought your very first sewing kit? If you’re brand new to sewing, and you had that moment not very long ago, you may still be learning about all the basic yet essential tools of sewing. Even the smallest, simplest s ewing kits contain all these essentials: sewing scissors, measuring tape, needles, thread, a threader, and a seam ripper. 

Most of us have seen all these little tools before we ever tried sewing, but seam rippers tend to be least familiar to people who don’t sew because they are such a specific tool. What are seam rippers used for exactly? These handy little guys used for picking out stitches and snags, and ripping open seams. Specific, but simple! 

If you have looked at a seam ripper tool before, you probably noticed some interesting parts to it. There are a few different parts of a seam ripper, which include the handle, neck, point, J-curve blade, and a tiny ball that’s typically red in color. The tiny ball is the part that allows you to glide through the seam with ease.

Do I need a seam ripper? You may be asking yourself if the concept of a seam ripper sounds strange or unnecessary, but there is a truth even professional quilters hate to face: you will probably need to rip out stitches at some point.  

The idea of “seam ripping” may sound scary, but don’t worry! You don’t literally have to rip out your stitches to correct a stitching mistake, which brings us to an even better question: how do you use a seam ripper? Our friend Natalie Earnhart can tell you everything you want to know about seam rippers for sewing, so if you want a lesson in Seam Ripping 101, just watch the video here! Natalie will show you how to use a basic seam ripper—you’ll probably be a professional seam remover by the end of her tutorial.

Did you know there are actually different types of seam rippers? Yep! Some sewing seam rippers are electric, there are seam rippers with lights, and then there is the most common one that Natalie shows you how to use.

 So what are the different types of seam rippers? The three most common types are the forked head ripper, curved blade ripper, and the stiletto ripper. Are any of these considered to be the best seam ripper? Like most quilting and sewing tools, there is no reigning champion—it mostly depends on what will work best for you! 

For example, if you like working with as much light as possible, a seam ripper with light would be the best choice. If you find the traditional forked head seam ripper to be less than ideal or if you do alterations in home, an electric seam ripper would be perfect for you! The Galaxy Notions Electric Seam Ripper would be a great place to start because it’s specifically designed for heavy duty sewing.

If you know your way around removing and picking stitches and don’t want to waste any time, you probably want the sharpest seam ripper. There are so many seam rippers that cut with quality precision to choose from, but the Dritz Seam Ripper ranks quite high on the list! We do carry Dritz items if you’re curious to check them out, and feel free to browse our Clove Seam Rippers and all of our other sewing seam rippers for sale. We provide not just the seam rippers, but we also have seam ripper blades and other accessories and maintenance tools for rippers! Come take a look today!