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I let my 5 yr old GD guide the fabric on the sewing machine going very slowly. I do the foot pedal because she can't reach both at the same time. She helps with the laundry too. Last week her mother discovered that she washed a load of clothes by herself. I think we would all be amazed at what kids can do.

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Originally Posted by janjer

well, we didn't stop there. he wanted to quilt it on my "big" machine. grandpa got two chairs and a sturdy board, set them in front of my gammil and my grandson quilted it. we took lots of pictures of that day. what a great time making a memory.

i am a retired school teacher --- if a child expresses an interest in learning how to do something--you must start right then. if you wait their interest may be turned away and sometimes they never get it back.

My 7-year-old friend wanted to make a quilt, and she ended up doing everything but the pressing and the binding. I cut the first strips and she decided that was something she could do. Which she did with very close supervision. She also quilted it on my long arm, also with very close supervision. She was a very mature 7-year-old, but with a lot of patience and attention, any child who shows interest and can follow direction carefully can learn to do just about anything, including the use of "dangerous" tools.

If you turn him loose witha rotary cutter be sure he has one of those gloves to wear that you can't cut thru. Otherwise I would stick to scissors.

My granddaughter made her first quilt this past summer but I cut the pieces. She thinks she is ready for a rotary cutter so, toward the end of the process, I put in an old blade and let her cut measured squares from paper. Since the paper isn't as likely to slip, it's a way for her to get used to the feel of the tool. We talked about how to keep fingers out of the way but even so, I think we'll wait until next summer (age 11) before I let her do any serious cutting. It depends to some extent on the child and how well they follow instructions.

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Originally Posted by amandasgramma

Wow -- here I am, the oddball again! I was baking bread when I was 10, I used a deep fryer about then, too. I was cutting wood when I was 7 -- my brother started before that. My brother had his first gun (not a bb gun either) when he was 6 and was helping dad in the garage about that time, too. I was putting the hooks on my own fishing pole when I was around 8. If you teach them RIGHT how to handle stuff, explain what can happen and watch them closely, then they'll be okay. kids today are protected so much they don't know how to act. JMHO

I totally agree, I had a bunch of kids from Boys and Girls club making quilts for project Linus including my teenager. I had them wear klutz glove and also the cutting mat that lets you cut every 1/2 inch (can't remember the name) in the slots. Safety first. My first daughter was killed 15 years ago with a shotgun that was supposedly empty, so I would never, never, put a child in danger, however, they have to learn sometime, and who is better at teaching them safety but you.

From my recent cutting experience, I'm not even sure if I should be using a rotary cutter! How about some pinking shears with cutting lines that have been drawn out with a disappearing pen?

my gdaughter is 11 and i let her use one while i supervise. so far so good

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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.

ditto

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckcowl

So they can get a drivers license at age 16, but are not allowed to use a rotary cutter until they are 18. They can get a job that uses a box cutter at age 16............Hmm.
;-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stitchnripper

I would cut for him too.

me too