Originally Posted by ckcowl
18!!!and not a moment before!!!
my granddaughter's and all the kids in our family started sewing at 4 & 5 years old- not a single one of them was ever allowed anywhere near a rotory cutter before they turned 18---they used scissors just like they use in 4-h or home ec classes!
rotory cutters are razor blades and can easily cut fingers OFF! one of my son's old girl friends (at 22 years old) was in the studio one day working on a project- listening to music- dancing around---ran the rotory cutter off the ruler---to the tune of 57 stitches!!!
when the kids were little they used scissors- and any pressing that needed to be done was done by an adult.
they were taught to use wooden irons- and to finger press- when fabric needed more than that they took it to an adult-
i believe SAFETY should ALWAYS COME FIRST!!! it is no fun when it hurts!
and NO CHILD SHOULD BE ANYWHERE NEAR A ROTORY CUTTER- ANY MORE THAN YOU WOULD LET THEM PLAY WITH A BOX CUTTER- OR ANY OTHER RAZOR BLADE!!!
all the boys in our family are great quilters = very creative- they start right out challenging you - it is great to encourage them- but teach them to use scissors.
I was thinking this also. Had not thought about the age to let them use a Rotary Cutter, but 18 sounds good to me. When I am using a Rotary Cutter, the kids are not allowed near me. Yes, I have cut myself a little bit, not bad but none the less. I can see him use a scissors when needed. And always under the very close eye of me. This will be a new advantage for him and he is looking forward to it. I mentioned it to him and he would love to start yesterday :lol:
I need to get my old machine out and working first and he needs to have some free time before we go down this path.
Thanks for all the replies.