Playing it safe with rotary cutters

Rotary Cutter Safety

Aren't rotary cutters great tools? The invention of the rutary cutter has changed quiltmaking forever! I recently had an accident with my rotary cutter. All my fault, of course! The stitches are out but my thumb is now infected. It seems that I may have some permanent damage but time will tell. I was cutting a thick stack of fabric in a free form curvy line. Some of the contributing factors include a slightly loose blade in the rotary cutter, and I was sitting on the floor while cutting. I will refer you to a website which has some safety information.
I also want to encourage you to purchase a ruler with finger guard. I got mine from Mariner's Compass Quilt Shop, 11 Centre Street, Bath Maine 04530 phone: 207-443-2900. I was not using this ruler at the time-- using a square template because the pieces were small. Since the accident I also purchased a "Klutz" glove. These are made for Fons and Porter and sold in many quilt shops. The same sort of glove may be found on some websites where safety equipment is sold. Smaller sizes are hard to find from safety websites. Read to find out what the glove is made from. Some have latex dots on them and should be avoided by persons with latex allergies. Others are latex free. Be careful! You only get one pair of hands.

http://quilting.about.com/od/rotarycuttingskills/tp/rotary_safety.htm