[scgoble]

I will be traveling for work in September and will be gone for about two weeks (at most, it could be shorter). I don’t think it will be practical to take my machine since I’m flying there and back, but I can’t imagine going that long without sewing something. Any suggestions for projects to do while staying in a hotel? I guess I could embroider something? I wish I was not so horrible at knitting.

I’m going to Philadelphia so I am looking forward to stopping by Spool, which I hear is a great store.

[janimal]

I have a bag with wool felt and floss with a little polyfil that I pack along when I travel. You can handsew little felt toys or play food. There are lots of great free tutes online for making felt food. DD loves to play with hers in her play kitchen.

[Tamara]

I went to Beating around the bush last time it was on and a number of ladies from the U.S came over. I noticed how they were boasting about being able to use a needle and thread And scissors ON THE PLANE!! And they embroidered all the way here (I’m not so sure about on the way back).

Anyhow, if you are planning to take something with you, you could bank up a whole lot of handsewing – buttons, collars, cuffs etc to finish off and this wouldn’t require a sewing machine. Or you could do some embroidery – your choice. If you don’t smock, it may be a good time to learn??? Take the chance to learn a new sewing skill maybe using just needle and thread.

Hand applique is always a good one. You could apply it to something that would need the sewing machine before/after the embroidery and take that whole project, do the embroidery and voila! One project either complete or can be completed on getting home.

I’m not sure about rules and things for your airlines in terms of carrying scissors and things on the plane – I’d stick it in my bag just in case (you don’t want to have anything confiscated).

Hope this helps.

Tamara

[Violaisabelle]

If you are wanting to work on specific sewing projects, perhaps you could contact Spool and ask them if they know of a sewing lounge/stuido that you could drop in on while in town. That way, you could take your project with you and do some sewing when you have time and possibly meet some new people, too.

I think some places call them sewing studios or lounges. By contacting before you go, you will know what’s available and what’s not.

Otherwise, I would suggest getting some hand sewing ready to take with you. I like to work on hems, gathering, basting and such while I am away from my machines. I just took the Jump Rope dress with me today to do some hand stitching on it while I waited for two hours for my boys to deliver papers. 😛

Carol

[meleliza]

Spool has machines you can use by the hour. That’s my local place. Laura has an artfully chosen selection of the modern quilting fabrics and a great eye for combining prints. How funny that I was just in Atlanta and you’re coming to Philly. There are some other shops in the suburbs, too.

I would take knitting or embroidery on a trip, myself. (I got a ton of knitting done on the two day drive to Georgia.) Have you seen Anna Maria horner’s lasted blog about her new cross stitch printed fabric? It’s seriously fabulous.

[Loralee]

Oh, meleliza, thanks for the heads up on Anna Maria Horner’s blog! That does look seriously fabulous. And seriously covetable (is that a word? In my world it is. LOL) Scgoble, I think you should do that while you’re in Philly to add special details to O+S items. Then share pics! 🙂

[scgoble]

Thanks for all the great ideas! I may just take something I can work on with a machine at the shop. But I also would like to make a college-themed outfit for my daughter for football season, so I could applique the university logo on it by hand. BTW, here are the US rules for air travel with needlework:

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/editorial_1252.shtm

That AMH stuff is AWESOME! I used to cross stitch all the time as a kid. I envision it on pockets or maybe the tab on front of the Family Reunion dress?

-Camille

[meleliza]

Yes! Lovely. Or around the hem of something, or the yoke. Ice cream dress? Playdate? Music box jumper? I love it preprinted on such beautiful fabric. Even more relaxing than counted cross stitch.

[scgoble]

Ack!! Bottom section of the ice cream dress is perfect. Adding the blog post to my Pinterest board now so I don’t forget!

[homefire]

FWIW I use a small pair of nail clippers to emboider or cross stitch while traveling.

[Tamara]

It’s interesting to know that about the thread cutters – here it is no scissors on board but thread cutters are allowed (I think). I haven’t had the nerve to take anything in hand luggage since I was reprimanded about the scissors (just after the unfortunate 2001 event and when I hadn’t travelled by air for absolutely ages) in public and made to feel like a child being told off! Very embarrassing! I find it strange about the knitting needles – they could be dangerous.

I hope you get the chance to go and sew in the lounge – sounds like fun!

[meleliza]

and we knitters can get awfully angry when things go wrong! 🙂 I would advise bringing only a cheap pair of needles because the list is partially up to the discretion of the security guard. You woudnt want to loose your favorite pari.

[Sarvi]

I believe TSA rules currently allow for scissors below 4 inches in length, but yes, a cautious security guard might decide otherwise. There are some options that are not too scary-looking:

http://www.nordicneedle.com/Merchant2/graphics/products/7240.jpg

http://cdn.nexternal.com/scc/images/pendant_thread_cutter-th.jpg

I wouldn’t take my nice embroidery scissors for the reasons meleliza mentions.

[TriMama]

I just got back from 10 days away and I took some tracing and cutting out to do. Although, of course you couldn’t do that on a plane. Now that I’m home I have several projects cut out and ready to sew.

I also took a ball of yarn and crochet book and taught myself to crochet.

[Emily]

I tend to save up all my hand-sewing tasks and take them with me when I’m travelling. I sew on buttons, blind-stitch hems, bind quilts, embroider, and do other things that I don’t need my machine for.

There’s a lovely set of baby blankets in one of the Joelle Hoverson “Last Minute” books – it’s a layer or two of flannel, bound in pretty quilting cotton. It’s a nice thing to take with me on a trip as it’s pretty small and portable, and if the prints are chosen carefully they’re gender neutral so I can keep a finished set or two on hand as a no-planning-needed baby gift.