Scissors

• Dressmaker scissors are the single most important sewing tool necessary to cut sheer fabric. Make sure they have a blunt edge to prevent snags and that they are very sharp. Many fabric stores offer scissor sharpening services for a fee and it is worth it to make sure your scissors are ready to go for any project. If you are left-handed, buy left-handed scissors. Protect your scissors by only using them to cut fabric. Using them to cut paper or anything else will result in a dull blade.
  
  

Layout

• Before laying out the pattern or cutting, make sure the surface you intend to cut on is at a comfortable height. Many stitchers abandon sewing because of backaches incurred from bending over a table that was too low.
  
  Use a cutting board, which can be made from several different materials, including cork, which specifically holds sheer fabrics still. If you don't have a cork board, put a bed sheet underneath the fabric to make sure it doesn't move. Just make sure that you don't cut the sheet along with the fabric.
  
  If you need to mark the fabric, use pins, chalk or tailor's tacks. A tracing wheel and dressmaker's carbon will damage the material permanently.
  
  

Cutting

• Pin the sheer fabric onto the cutting board or sheet with silk or ballpoint pins to avoid snagging the material. Use long cuts instead of short ones, and continue cutting around corners without stopping and starting. Cut slowly. Cutting quickly can snag the fabric and will result in an inaccurate cut. Just 1/8 inch on each seam adds up to a garment being 1 inch or more too big.
  
  After cutting, handle the fabric gently to prevent stretching the cut edges.