The funny thing is that he is more scared of the rotary cutter than anything. Both my boys have been taught to respect it and not to touch it. That is unless they want to get into trouble :mrgreen:

The idea of teaching them how to use it is great. That will happen, but I do not think I am ready for that, nor has he been interested in it yet....

My grand daughter is 13, has been quilting for about 5 years, but I do all the cutting with the rotary cutter.

I want to purchase a klutz glove and some of those ruler guards then I will start her cutting, but until then I do the cutting.

Jean

I took the mystery out of it for my DGD. Using an old blade I showed her how easy it was to cut a hot dog and told her fingers are like hot dogs. It worked.

Brilliant!

My children (who are now 11 and 12) sew and quilt. They use scissors and if there is a need for a rotary cutter...an absolute need - which if you think about it there really isn't an absolute need b/c people have been quilting forever without rotary cutters - I do the cutting for them.

They've been sewing and piecing quilt tops for a couple of years. There is no need for a rotary cutter.

Yes, there are rotary cutters that automatically close when you put them down. How does that prevent a child from cutting themselves as they are cutting strips? It doesn't.

Supervision, being in the same room and keeping an eye on them. How does that prevent a child from cutting themselves as they are cutting fabric?

You may think I'm harsh but I'm 40 years old. I'm careful and I've worked with dangerous tools all my life.

In June I cut the end of my finger, including a large portion of my finger nail. I not only cut it, I cut it off.

I didn't clip the bone or anything, because it was more of a slice along the side and tip because of the way I was holding my ruler.

I was holding the rotary cutter, no one would have been able to grab the cutter away from me to prevent my injury regardless of how close they were watching.

Please, there is no need for a child to use a rotary cutter. Scissors, they have been used for years before rotary cutters even existed. Scissors, many of my quilting ladies who I take classes with and sew with, cut with scissors.

Safety first. I agree with so many who have posted here--we used scissors for generations before rotary cutters--you wouldn't give a child a razor blade to play with. They are just as sharp. I think children are too easily distracted while they work. JMHO, but I would hate to hear about someone's child cutting themselves.
Sue

i would do the cutting and let him sew

I was using a rotary cutter when I was nine. My parents figured I was better off learning how to do it the right way with their tutelage than to half to try to mess around and give up on a project. (They also taught me to use the "real" stove when I was six. I was using it unsupervised on a regular basis by the time I was eight.) It depends on the kid - are they careful and focused, or are they easily distracted and klutzy? Do they regularly have small accidents with other stuff, or are they very careful? I was far more safety-conscious about stuff than my peers.

Scissors or you cut using the rotary cutter.

IMHO that is just to young. Accidents can happen so fast even to adults with good coordination.