As the owner of an online quilt store, I recently participated in the Calhoun County Illinois Quilt show. A woman in the neighboring booth recently had suffered an injury with a "rotary cutter". Her story went as such; she was HURRYING to finish a project and placed her open rotary cutter on the ironing board. You guessed it, she knocked it off and it fell on her leg making a nasty cut. She chose not to see a doctor, which her listeners, felt was a mistake, but, instead continued to nurse and dress the wound. I might add the wound was still bleeding. This brought on war stories from her listeners. Everyone had a similar story to tell.
Her story reminded me of my friend who had also dropped an open rotary cutter on her foot. This time the cut was too severe to ignore. The attending emergency room doctor was aghast at the wound and depth of the injury - several tendons were cut. My friend produced the rotary cutter and the doctor could not believe she was in possession of so lethal a tool. The wound healed, however, the tendon damage was significant and has left her with some permanent damage.
Box Cutter
In no way do I advocate tossing out the rotary cutter. As quilters, we know the value of this tool. However, I believe we must be aware of the importance of - SAFETY FIRST - and implement that idea into our quilting process. Every instructor I know has included in their instruction - and be sure to close the rotary cutter after each cut.
Use the following tips and stay accident free:
1. Wear shoes while cutting your fabric - keep a pair at the table for this use only.
2. Close your rotary blade after each cut - make it a HABIT.
3. Keep out of the reach of children - purchase a school pencil box and place rotary cutter in it after each cut.
4. Maintain a safety kit close to the cutting board - set up a side table for the pencil box and the safety kit.
5. Stay focused when cutting - this means turn the TV off.
6. Invest in grips to keep your hands clear of the cutting tool.
7. Always cut away from you.
8. Copy this list and tape it to your table as reminder - SAFETY FIRST.
Take SAFETY FIRST one step further and make similar lists to include safety in your everyday life.
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