Jade Shemwell
- Designing with Meaning: A Tribute to YWCA Yorkshire
- Traditional Craftsmanship: 17 Stages of Making
- The Pryor Stamp: A Mark of Sheffield Excellence
- Legacy in the Making: A Master and Whiteley’s Next Generation
- More Than a Pair of Scissors
- A Unique Opportunity to Own a Piece of Whiteley & YWCA Yorkshire History
The process behind creating our bespoke 12” tailors’ shears for the YWCA raffle
Interested in learning the process that went into creating our gorgeous, bespoke 12” tailors’ shears for our raffle in aid of YWCA Yorkshire?
Read on to learn the story behind the design, and the people who made the scissors come to life.
Traditional Craftsmanship: 17 Stages of Making
Like all our finest scissors, the shears passed through 17 individual manufacturing stages, each performed by hand in our Sheffield workshop. These included:
- Bow dressing
- Drilling and tapping
- Hardening and tempering
- Rumbling and polishing
- Grinding and sharpening
- Stamping and painting
- Final assembly and inspection
Each stage was carried out by a member of our skilled team, Ian carried out the precision stamping including the making of the fly press jig and adjusting of the shears surface to prepare for stamping, Michael brought the blades to a fine polish, and Gary hand-painted the handles with care.
Discover the full process behind our standard scissors here.
The Pryor Stamp: A Mark of Sheffield Excellence
To further honour our Sheffield roots, the shears are stamped with the Whiteley crest using a bespoke tool, crafted by fellow Sheffield firm Pryor Marking Technology.
Founded in 1849, Pryor is internationally renowned for their excellence in marking and traceability. Originally established as a maker of hand tools for engraving, their legacy mirrors our own in many ways – shaped by industrial innovation and enduring skill.
To mark this project as truly singular, the shears also bear a “1 of 1” stamp, applied using a Pryor handstamp set from the Whiteley archives, a piece of toolmaking history now brought back to life.
Legacy in the Making: A Master and Whiteley’s Next Generation
The final assembly was entrusted to our master craftsman, Andrew, who has dedicated 50 years so far to the craft of scissor making. Working alongside him was Pete, who has been mentored under Andrew’s guidance as he prepares to carry the tradition forward.
More Than a Pair of Scissors
At its heart, this project represents much more than manufacturing. It symbolises what can be achieved when tradition and purpose come together: a handcrafted project imbued with meaning, supporting an organisation whose work makes a tangible difference in people’s lives.
We are proud to support YWCA Yorkshire, and proud that our shears can play a small part in their mission.
A Unique Opportunity to Own a Piece of Whiteley & YWCA Yorkshire History
This one-of-a-kind pair of shears is now being raffled to raise vital funds for YWCA Yorkshire.
🎟 Click here to purchase raffle tickets
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From the outset, these shears were designed with YWCA Yorkshire in mind. The handles are hand-painted in the distinctive YWCA purple, carefully colour-matched to reflect the charity’s visual identity – a hue that represents dignity, resilience, and care.
They are presented in a custom wooden presentation box, beautifully laser-engraved with: