Rotary Cutter Safety Tips

When you're working with a pattern or a project that requires a rotary cutting system this is generally what they're talking about. And it is a rotary cutter, a protective mat, and a clear ruler. And there are a number of different types of rotary cutters and rulers and mats that you can purchase. And I find kind of going middle of the road on size with all three of these items just to get started is probably the best way to go. But certainly if you're working with a big, you know, pattern piece, you want a bigger mat and, you know, a smaller quilt block or something like that, you'd want a smaller ruler.

So just, you know, depending on your project is kind of what you want to look for at the store. I happen to really love using a rotary cutter. I will use it whenever I can. I really like using it with patterns actually to cut out pieces because a rotary cutter just goes around these curves so nicely. And you know, sometimes you'll have a little piece or a notch or something like that.

That's kind of hard to get in with your scissors. And a rotary cutter is really great for patterns. So just find some great pattern weights and, you know, you can cut out your pieces in no time. And, you know, rotary cutters come like I said in all different sort of shapes and sizes and varieties and brands, just like anything else. You might find one that's looks like this, you know, and they're also really adaptable for right and left-hand use, you just kind of switch the screw to the other side and move the blade ever so carefully over to the other side.

And then you can use it as a lefty no problem. And there are a number of, you know, other accessories to organize your rotary cutters like this handy little cradle. This is relatively new on the market, but it's really handy for keeping everything kind of organized and keeping the blades off of your work surface. So you don't accidentally nudge something and cut yourself which brings me to my next point which is safety when using a rotary cutter. You know, they're extremely sharp blades.

And even just bumping into it, like I said can really cause some problems and you don't want to mess up your fabric with, you know, some accidental blood or something like that. So some products are available that really help prevent this type of injury. And one of them is this InvisiGRIP sticky paper that you actually put on the underside of your ruler. And it's totally clear. So you'll still be able to see all of your markings but it gives this sort of, you know, gripper on the backside of your ruler, which prevents it from sliding around and you accidentally cutting yourself.

So that's kind of a cool product. And another thing you can find is something with some suction cups on it and you put it on your ruler like so, and this also comes, you know, there's different brands and different varieties too. I just find that this big one is the way to go. So you just clamp it down onto your ruler and this isn't going anywhere. Plus it's keeping your hand way up here away from your surface and away from that blade as you're cutting.

So that's a really cool safety precaution to invest in if you're doing a lot of rotary cutting. And another tip if you don't want to go the route of buying something with these suction cups on it, just make sure to always keep your hand on the ruler itself. And that way it's always out of the way of that blade. And you always want to cut away from you like this and never towards you. I think that's a mistake that a lot of people make and that is how they cut themselves.

This way is the safest. And you never want to go like this. You know, you can easily slide off the ruler, do something like that, dangerous. And another thing, you know, if you are, especially if you're working with a beginner sewer, teaching somebody how to use a rotary cutter or even this is really great with kids, whether they're using a rotary cutter or just scissors or even just sewing, and this is called a klutz glove. And as you can see, it has little gripper dots on both sides.

So it's right or left hand use. And so it really grips the ruler well, and it's also cut resistant and it's not cut proof, but it will keep this blade from nicking you and, you know, if you accidentally happen to catch it, it's not going to go through. So this is a really good thing to invest in also. And a couple of other things that I find, you know, if you're gonna get yourself a rotary cutting system, there are some specialty rulers that are really cool that make your life easier. Especially if you're doing a lot of applique or quilt blocks.

These are circle templates. And, you know, cutting out a circle with scissors, it's just kind of, you know, your circle is never really a circle the end of the day. And you know, you might have to keep trimming it down or something like that. And these are just so cool, you know, your blade just glides all the way down the curve. So these are kind of cool to have and they come, you know, as you could see in all these different sizes.

And then another one if you are working with some quilts or even a table runner or anything that requires mitered corners, binding, things like that, this is a really cool ruler to invest in. And they also might come like this. So just depending on whatever project you're working on, you know, go and what kind of specialty tools that are gonna make your life easier. Also, when you are using a rotary cutter, you want to get some replacement blades because this is only gonna last so long and you really do want to keep it sharp, sharp, sharp because that's also a way to actually prevent cuts. When you're working with a dull blade, I mean, it's just like cooking.

You know, when you're working with a dull knife you try harder and it just, you know, causes problems and also inaccurate cuts. And, you know, your pattern pieces are going to be a little off, things like that. So you really want to get a few replacement blades. And there's also rotary blade sharpeners on the market. This is one variety.

And you know, it's not going to work if you have a super big knick or something like that in your blade, then you just want to replace it. But just to keep them sharp and lasting a little longer, you stick your blade in here, and I believe you need to get it a little bit wet so that it doesn't cause too much friction. And then you stick this in the center and just twist it a little bit. You could see the little diagram right here. And just a few twists and it's sharp and good as new.

So that's a really good thing to invest in also. Saves you from just continually buying rotary cutter blades. So some other really cool things are, you know, decorative uses for rotary cutters. And some replacement blades are, you know, like this is a pinking blade you can find and that's really cool for a nice edge treatment. I also have some wavy blades.

And you want to be really careful taking this out 'cause these can cut you as well. But it's just a little bit wider of a pinked edge. So there are all kinds of things out there. You just kinda need to look and see what's available for your rotary cutter brand. A lot of the blades are interchangeable between brands also because they have standard sizes for the small, medium and large.

So you can kind of mix and match based on what your project is and what your needs are. Another really cool blade, and this one I have in this protective case because whenever you are done using your rotary cutter, you want to make sure that you engage the little safety cover in all of them. And some of them will retract automatically, but some of them, this particular one does not. So you need to make sure when you're storing it to always do that, because if you're reaching around in a drawer or something, trying to get your blade out or you just leave it on the table and then somebody else comes in to grab something, you never know what could happen. So you want to, you know, exercise safety at all times.

And this is a really cool thing if you continually forget or you're using a specific, you know, a different blade that might, you know, prevent it from being covered all the way, you can find one of these cool little covers. And then you always know that you're protected. So this blade that I want to show you, it actually doesn't cut your fabric at all. What it does is it perforates it. So it's really great for edge treatments and things like fleece, and it's called the edge perfect blade.

And you can see, you know, on here there's a couple of different applications you can use it for and I'll show you how it works. But you know, you could make yourself a really simple scarf and just cut a long strip of fleece. You don't have to finish the edges at all. It's the easiest project. It's great for Christmas gifts.

And I'm just going to run the blade down the side. I would do this whole edge. And now you can see what it has done is created these little tiny holes that you can see that you can weave anything you want to through. You can do a whole knitted edge on the hem of a blazer or something like that, or fleece coat, sweatshirt type thing. And what you can do is take some decorative ribbon or yarn or heavyweight thread or something like that, and just start weaving it through the holes.

And you can create a really cool finished edge without it really being finished at all. And this would also be really nice on a blanket. If you're making, you know, just cutting a fleece blanket for somebody and you want it to look, you know, like you put some effort and it's homemade and all of that but, you know, just add a little blanket stitch with some fancy little sparkly ribbon or something. And you could do all sorts of things. You could spread these out.

Put a little knitted cuff or something like that, I mean, so cute. You can use eyelash trim so it's kind of, you know, dangling off of the edge and you just keep going down the entire scarf. And then it's done and it's perfectly spaced out because, you know, of the using this blade. So that's another really cool accessory that you can invest in. And you can see that a rotary cutter is not only good for practical applications, but decorative ones as well.