I was studiously working on cutting out my quilt blocks several weeks back. I was having trouble with my rotary cutter skipping, so I figured I would "push" it hard and fast. Well that was really stupid of me to do that, because it slipped and cut my thumb. OUCH!! :XD: I ran to the kitchen crying and bleeding, praying that it would soon stop. Instinctively; I ran it under water, which only made it bleed more but I could see it wasn't that deep. Geez-----how dumb can one be, I got the blood to subside long enough for me to go call for help.

When my friend came, he almost passed out! O.K., he says, lets go to the hospital. No, I cried even more. It's not that bad, just a little blood. "But you've got a flap of skin there that's about to fall off. You need to get to the hospital."
" Alright, but only because I don't want to argue with you."
When we got there, we waited with a blood-soaked thumb for about 15 minutes. Then they took me right into the Fastrac and numbed it to stop the bleeding, and to my surprise they sewed it up with 7 stitches. The rotary cutter went down the middle of my thumb, they say I will lose the nail. I'm lucky though, it could have been much worse, I could have lost my entire thumb.
~~~~But this was only a minor setback.~~~~~

Wow! Glad you did get to the hospital! Hope it heals well! :)

Oh my, so sorry you cut your thumb. I sure hope this is a lesson to all of us rotary cutters. Be careful !

Oh geez!! Get well soon

Get to healing, you have work to do. :)

I did the same thing with one of those Mandaline slicers used in the kitchen. Soon as I stopped bleeding all over my newly redone kitchen I threw that thing in the trash. So now I use a food processor.

I'm sorry --- I did dumb last summer and cut the end of my middle finger almost all the way off. I don't care that they say I'm an adult -- it HURT! I cried!!!

OH!! How painful. I hurt just thinking about it.

wow! I cut mine a few years ago with a buck knife...index finger and laid it open from first knuckle to end of nail on the side. Bled like crazy. I superglued it, splinted it to keep from bending it and after about an hour of sitting I was back in the kitchen.....I did NOT use that knife anymore though!

OUCH, you just needed a brake! now you can look thru all those quilting mags you haven't gotten around to...

Very sorry to hear that you cut yourself. I'm happy to hear that you are going to be alright though. This is probably a lesson well learned. If ever you have to add that much pressure, I would say that you need to change your cutter blade. If it is good and sharp, it should cut through the material like butter. Be safe please.

I always say, respect your rotary cutter. Hope your thumb heals up, and you will be as good as new.

Now I feel like a wimp for whining about the flesh wound I dealt myself the other day with my rotary cutter. Hope your thumb heals quickly and cleanly.

DH cut the end of his thumb off many years ago, slicing steak for a sandwich. Went to the ER and they sewed it back on, you can still see the "seam". Good thing it didn't end up in the sandwich!!!

Yikes!! I'm so glad you are ok and still have that thumb!!

I do remember being taught never to cut towards myself and to keep my fingers away from the cutting side of any blade I am cutting with.

And I also remember the times I forgot about that good advice and had a story like yours to tell afterwards!

That is apparently what my BFF did when she did not listen to my words of advice and warning. She ended up walking around town with this huge bandage on her finger telling everyone she was a "wounded quilter."

I'm glad they fixed you up and next time the cutter won't cut, try changing to a new blade. It WILL be less expensive, less time-consuming, and less painful.

I did the same thing about a year ago, but it was my first finger in the way. Hurt pretty bad. I then bought the clutz glove from Fons and Porter to protect my hand. Those blades sure are sharp aren't they? I'm glad you didn't lose your thumb!! Good luck on healing up quickly!!

OOOOOOh that sounds painful! Glad you relented and got it stitched up :)
Get better soon!

Well, I'm glad it wasn't worse, but I'm glad you went to get it taken care of. That sounds like a good friend who told you what you needed to hear, and not what you wanted to hear. We all need friends like that. I hope you heal up soon.

Do you like the glove and do you use it all the time? I've been wondering if I should get one. Hmmm....might be a good Christmas present to ask for.

when your rotory cutter is skipping it is time to change the blade not apply force, and always take your time cutting, a rotory blade is a razor blade and can cut digits right off. always play safe; once pain is involved the pleasure can go right out of an activity.

I was always told, the empty gun is always the one that will kill.

So, the dull rotary blade is the one that will cut you deepest.

Embroidery that on the front of your brain.

I'm not bleeding any more, and can now use the car keys to go to Walmart to get new round blades.

I am so sorry that happened I wish they had some kind of protective guard on them that was almost level with blade at least that way we could still cut fabric and be a little safer

minor setback??? Geez Louise...i have done it but not like yours and it hurts like the dickens!! Too sore to use for several days. Hope you heal up fast & be careful now. Glad u ending up going to the hosp!

They say if you fall off a horse, you should get right back on. So KEEP QUILTING!

Wow I bet they gave you a tetnus shot too! Bless your heart. Thanks for posting this, it is a good reminder that rotory cutters are a razor blade that can cut you bad!

Hope you heal fast and get right back in the game.

I want to thank everyone for all the advice and well wishes. By "minor setback", I meant that I did rest up several days, reading my favorite quilting magazines but now I'm back to CAREFULLY quilting again. I knew that I needed to change my rotary cutter blade, but I was in such a hurry that particular day and didn't want to take time out. That was one hard lesson learned, and now I'll have the scar to remind me of it.

I especially liked the idea of getting the Klutz gloves by Fons and Porter. I'll definitely check that one out.
Stephanie

Any butcher will tell you that a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one. Same with a razor blade or a sharp-as-a-razor blade rotory cutter for the very reason you just said. I'm really glad you were able to get your finger sewn up and I hope you heal really soon :thumbup:

OUCH! I know someone who cut the side of her finger off that way.

Glad you went to the hosp and got it stitched. Hope it is feeling better now.

oweee! Im so sorry that you cut yourself! Im glad you posted though as you gave me a new respect for my rotary cutter that I didnt have before.

Sorry about your accident. If no one else has given you "permission" to cry I will! I fell last Feb and did a lot of damage to my teeth, nose (not broken though)and lip. After getting the cuts stitched up and being brave for what seemed like days (about three hrs really) I asked my husband if I "could cry now?" and he said yes when the snickers stopped.

Hope you heal fast and finish your project (if you still want to) quickly.

Such a painful lesson to us all. We feel your pain. Heal quickly and well. Thanks for sharing, it will make everyone more careful.

Oops....I'm so sorry that you hurt yourself! Also really glad that your BFF has more sense than you and took you to the hospital! :lol: Heal up soon!

im glad you went to the hospital,and got it took,en care of i hope they gave you a shot for infection i cut my finger a year ago but not with rotery cutter i got cut with a glass coffee pot that crack when i was filling it with water ,i got a deep cut bleeding that would'nt not stop so my husband took me to hospital,just like you i got 9 stitch's but that hurt because doctor put needle right inside the cut wow very painful,now you just keep your hand clean and keep your arm up level so you won,t put to presser on hand ,hope you heal fast

Wishing you a speedy recovery and glad to hear that you didn't damage any nerves or tendons in your thumb. Lesson learned, it has been awhile since I changed my blade...going to do it now.

It is a lesson to all of us. I got my lesson a few years ago, when working with a stubborn storm window. Almost cut off my whole thumb. I've learned, don't do anything that could harm your hands, if you can get someone else to do it like a neighbor or a son who lives over 100 miles away. Just ignore the problem until it goes away. Next time your cutter blade don't work, either replace it or check to see if there is a thread around the connection. Don't ever force it.

When it is closed and they are ready to take the stitches out put Neosporin on it to lessen the scarring so that you will be able to bend your thumb normally without it pulling and feeling stiff. Put it on every day.

We did this with my granddaughter when she fell off her bike and had stitches in her face. As a matter of fact we put the neosporin on from the getgo and she does not have any trace of scarring.

Bad timing with the holiday so close, however, planning can always be done....right or left? So sorry for your "oowey"

WOW!! You really did a job with the rotary cutter. I've slice the side off of my left index finger a couple of times. But I have to say mine didn't hurt too bad because I had a really sharp blade, but it did bleed quite a bit! Hope your finger heals nicely and quickly.

I'm glad to hear you're back to quilting!

I want to thank you for posting this. Yesterday I was cutting fabric and kept telling myself I needed to change the blade but didn't. Thankfully, I didn't injure myself, but with this warning, I will definitely change the blade before doing any more cutting. I do use the gypsy gripper ( http://www.thegypsyquilter.com/thegypsygripper.htm ) on my large ruler, though, so that is much safer. I love it.