BarbWetzel Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Last Friday, I slipped with my Rotary Cutter and cut my left index finger pretty seriously. 4 Stitaches later and a lot of pain... I hope to get back to my Birthday blocks soon. So I am temporarily out of service until I get a Klutz glove. I don't want to have this accident repeated. Barb Wetzel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FowlManorQuilting Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 I've heard of them, they are made out of Kevlar and are pretty indistructable! Mechanics use them to alleviate knuckle injuries when wrenching hard. Any racing supply will carry them or perhaps your local auto supply store. G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinaCollins Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 YIKES!!! Barb, I hope your finger heals fast and you can get back to quilting very soon!! On a related note, I have even cut my lip with a rotary cutter... (Yes, hard to believe, I know...:cool::mad:) Those who know me will tell you that I am a very animated talker and often use my hands as extra embellishments to my words........ Well, about 8 years ago, I was having a very involved discussion while cutting fabric strips- Yep, I got so carried away in the conversation, waving my arms like a crazy woman, that I actually cut my own lip with my rotary blade!! Luckily, it wasn't too bad of an injury... just really embarassing!! Now, how many of you have dropped their cutter and sliced their toes???:mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Oh, Barb! I am so sorry to hear about your accident. However, I am glad that this is just "temporary" and that you'll be back at it again... I can't imagine having an accident and that it completely cut a finger tip off "permanently" YIKES! I agree, they are very very dangerous. I gotta tell ya that rotary cutters scare the you-know-what outa me. I have the highest respect for my rotary cutter, and whenever I use my rotary cutter, I always take a deep breath and bow to the Rotary Cutter Gods before I take a slice on the fabric. Get well soon. Shana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 I did the same thing...cut my thumb to the bone...except I toughed it out and skipped the stitches...also got me out of doing dishes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patch Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Barb, I'm sorry you hurt your pingey, I'd send kisses for it except you might REALLY wonder about me then, LOL!! Tina, that takes the cake indeed! I am imagining just how many ways you could have been waving your hand to do that...... ha! Shana, you crack me up!! I cut my finger on my birthday YEARS ago and thankfully didn't have to have stitches, but it scared me so very bad I've been quite careful ever since. Had to go to opera rehearsal that night with huge gauzy bandage and hand held at shoulder - that was interesting. It wasn't a rotary cutter, but that's why I've never (yet) cut myself with one. (I was racing to finish making salsa in a salsa kitchen for my friend's company. Decided to cut a whole row of lemons with the butcher knife extra fast. Didn't realize my finger was not a lemon - oops. Scared the begeezus out of me). I also bow to the Rotary God and pray that my work might be worthy so I can keep my fingers. Thanks to Shana for the reminder, gotta go light my incense..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Barb, I'm so sorry to hear about your finger. I did the same thing a couple years ago. New blade, distracted, sliced thru the finger, fingernail and just missed the bone. I felt so stupid. I take blood thinners so it was a mess. It was late, so as soon as I got the bleeding stopped and bandaged myself, I went to bed. I know, real stupid. The next morning I went to the emergency room and got 9 stitches and a big lecture about not coming in the night before. For a while I was afraid of using a rotary cutter. I tried the Klutz gloves but found them bulky. http://www.thequiltjunction.com/notions1.asp I ended up putting shields on the rulers that I use the most. http://softexpressions.com/software/notions/SafetyShlds.php And I pay better attention now, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Ah - the Lindas think alike!! I also have the shield from Olipfa on my ruler. I had never cut myself before, but I knew it would be only a matter of time, so got myself some prevention! Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandraC Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Sounds like we all have our horror stories!!! I was demonstrating a technique to a friend...should know better than to talk and do something with a sharp blade at the same time!! I had a little flap hanging on the end of the finger and they were going to stitch it but said I might lose the little flap anyway, so I said just take it off. I think you'll find it'll really hurt for a while, since a lot of nerve endings are in the tips of the fingers, or so I've been told. Now I always take a little backtrack move before I move forward with the cutter. This kind of makes sure that the blade is along-side the ruler instead of on it (which is what happened to me). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadows4 Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 I feel for you Barb, It's amazing how badly a finger can bleed. I cut myself when I wasn't paying attention. Was cutting through some thick stuff that had seams, and stupidly, was holding my right pointer finger on top of the cutter handle to get leverage. The cutter stopped but my finger didn't. Doctor said it was .6 centimeter deep and took 6 stitches. I don't cut that way anymore. That was about 7 years ago, and I still don't have all of my feeling back, but it seems to be slowly getting there. You might lose some sensation in that finger for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsurich Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Owww Barb! Hope all comes out well with finger. Friend of mine cut a filet off of her index finger with rotary cutter. She picked up the flesh and held back on the finger until she got to the emergency room and they were able to suture it back on. This was years ago and she still doesn't feel much in the end of the finger. Thanks for reminding us all to slow down and think what we are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltaholi_518 Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Oh, I did that once, cut the very tip off of my pinkie doing a forbidden under the arm cut (one tiny flap holding it on) and slapped it back in place and held it there with pressure for an hour or so. It grew back fine with no trip to the emergency room. But boy,oh boy, do I remember that throbbing... And you will hit it against things like you wouldn't believe! Just when you think it is healed...WHAP!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Thank you Caron for that wonderful description of how you can hit your mamed finger and how bad it hurts....very desciptive... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewhappy Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 I too sliced a finger, It took 4 stitches. and it was my "show & tell" at guild that nite!! Another member cut her finger a few months later but I still hold the guild record for most stitches!! It has been over a year now but it will still hurt depending on how many dishes there are to do!! HA HA!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted February 6, 2007 Report Share Posted February 6, 2007 Ow, ow,ow,ow,ow! So sorry. Linda R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbWetzel Posted February 7, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Ramona... Thanks for the websites.. I went to the ruler covers and ordered a set. I am going to a sewing class tomorrow, so I will look to see if they have a Klutz glove before I order one and have to pay the shipping. Thanks for all the stores ladies... We all have great stories don't we? I can't seem to type very well either.... Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TishMarshall Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 OUCH to all my fellow quilters who have gotten themselves with the rotary cutter. I was sitting at my DSM ripping some stitches out and bumped my cutter, it fell and hit the top of my foot. I dropped what I was doing, grabbed my foot and with tremendous pressure held the cut closed. I told my DH who was sitting in the room with me that I needed to go to the doc for some stitches.............he gave me a puzzled look and said why? I told him what happened and he still didn't think it was that bad....so I said come look, he was shocked......6 stitches later. The blade went in 1/4", a little further and I would have hit more than skin. I have one of those big blue cutters, where the safety moves out of the way when you apply pressure. Tish Originally posted by shadows4 I feel for you Barb, It's amazing how badly a finger can bleed. I cut myself when I wasn't paying attention. Was cutting through some thick stuff that had seams, and stupidly, was holding my right pointer finger on top of the cutter handle to get leverage. The cutter stopped but my finger didn't. Doctor said it was .6 centimeter deep and took 6 stitches. I don't cut that way anymore. That was about 7 years ago, and I still don't have all of my feeling back, but it seems to be slowly getting there. You might lose some sensation in that finger for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaFritchen Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 Barb, A lovely birthday block arrived from you today. Hope it was not the cause of your accident! Sounds terrible, hope you are in less pain now that a few days have gone by. Thanks for reminding all of us...use CARE. And thanks for the block!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbWetzel Posted February 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 You are very welcome Linda...... I am finally getting caught up one quilt block at a time. I did find a Klutz Glove at the Ames Quit Connection ($23.99). It saved me shipping. My finger is still very tender but healing. Thanks for all of the Concern. Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonmade Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 I teach a lot of beginning quilters and have always starting my talk about rotary cutting with the "blood and gore" lecture so I can shock them into being safe users of their cutters. During class, I keep an eye on everyone's cutters as much as possible to remind them to close the cutters after each cut. I've cut myself twice with a cutter, neither time was too bad. Once when I was a beginner and once again last summer. Neither compared in pain to the time I sewed thru my finger with my Viking sewing machine. Or to the tremondous pain and two surgeries that my husband suffered with a wood working accident. That finger of his still hurts years later when the weather is cold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltingtina Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 I have a huge fear of cutting myself, plus now I have my young sons. Now only have the self closing ones. Also, I try to lock it in between cuts. It's just easier for me to remember that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 O.K. - I had to stop reading these posts....... ouch! :ogoosebumps...... Knock on wood - I have not yet done so. Was thinking about getting the sheilds - thanks for posting the links Linda! Not sure about the gloves - I just love to feel my fabric when I work..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TishMarshall Posted February 9, 2007 Report Share Posted February 9, 2007 BE SURE to lock this between use. I too have this cutter and this is the one I dropped on the top of my foot which cut it open and required 6 stitches. I too now LOCK the blade safety when I am done using. Tish Originally posted by quiltingtina I have a huge fear of cutting myself, plus now I have my young sons. Now only have the self closing ones. Also, I try to lock it in between cuts. It's just easier for me to remember that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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