Friday Fun Fact: Pinking shears

Ever wondered how pinking shears got their name?

The word pink dates back to the 13th century, when it wasn't yet associated with a color; it meant to pierce or stab. Eventually pink became used to describe the regular, zigzag-cut edges that were so fashionable during the 16th century and onward. It's possible that without pinking shears, this meaning would have been lost to history.

And the color? Pink is the common name of the garden flower Dianthus, a sweet little bloom with rosy petals and zigzagged edges - they look like they've been pinked! So our Dianthus was named pink for its sawtooth edges, and pink eventually came to mean Dianthus-colored.

You can shop pinking shears and lots of other notions at our website - click here!