Top tips for travelling with your embroidery

One of my favourite things about embroidery (and there are many!) is how portable it is - usually there's little equipment that you need and you don't need electricity or anything heavy. If you're planning to take some soothing stitching with you on your travels, to pass the time on a long train journey or zone out under a beach umbrella, here are our top tips for taking your hobby out and about.

Plan ahead

Think about what you'd like to stitch while you're away and how much time you think you'll have to devote to embroidery. Choose a project that fits in with that - download the pattern and transfer onto your fabric using your favourite method, so that you can get straight down to stitching when you're away. Make sure you have all the required threads - it's so annoying to run out mid project when you don't have access to a shop. It's handy to have these wound onto bobbins before you go too, so they don't get tangled up on your travels.

Kits are perfect for travelling because they usually come with everything you need. 

Get all your tools ready

You don't want to be taking your full sewing kit with you so put together a small pouch with all the tools you need. If you're getting on a flight, take scissors with a small blade, like our mini Snipsters (also, check with your airline first). It's good to have a cover for your scissors, so that they don't poke through your bag and scratch anyone. Having somewhere save to keep your needles is a must. Our magnetic needle cases are really handy, and come with an inbuilt magnifier and needle threader. Or how about making your own needle book with our free tutorial? Choose a smallish hoop so that you're not taking up all the room on your airplane isle.

We have a complete travel set if you want to be the most stylish stitcher on the camp site!

Keep clean :)

The hazard of travelling with your stitching is that it's more likely to get covered in ice cream splodges, pina colada spills or grime from the train. Take some wet wipes to give your hands a wipe before you start stitching (especially if your fabric is white, trust me, you'll thank me) and a small plastic bag to store your work in, so it's protected from the wet swim suits.

Enjoy your travels and your mellow stitching!