I take an embroidery project whenever I head away, especially if I have a train or plane journey.

Knowing how many supplies to pack can be difficult, especially on longer trips as I don’t want to finish off the project a few days into the trip and then have nothing to do for the rest of the holiday. But I also don’t want to take so much that I end up not touching half of it. Here are my tips on what to pack:

1. Have a project pouch.

I have a pouch which is around A5 size and fits up to a 5 inch embroidery hoop as well as sufficient thread fabric and tools.

2. Pick your hoops carefully

Hoops are the bulkiest item so I suggest picking projects that use the same size hoop when travelling. Extra fabric for additional projects can be folded flat. But if you are only taking one hoop make sure it is a good one - learn from my mistake.

3. Select projects with the same colour palette

This will minimise the number of different threads that you need to pack but also make sure that you have another project to go onto if you finish the first.

4. Take just the thread you need

You might not need to take full skeins of thread. Some patterns may only need a tiny amount of one colour. I take cut lengths about 1m long each but I’m quite experienced at estimating the amount of floss needed. Cut lengths are also helpful if you can’t access your scissors or they are confiscated at the airport!

5. Slim down your tools

I have a needle case where I store all my needles, but I don’t take that on holiday, I have a slimmed down version (a gorgeous felt owl needle case from the Winter 2021 craftpod) where I pack a few different needles, a pin and a pair of scissors. I’ll also take a needle minder as stitching on the move increases your chance of loosing your needle.

6. Check any restrictions

If you are travelling by plane then there you also need to consider any airline restrictions regarding scissors. Most scissors under 6 inches should be fine, but I always travel with a pair I’m prepared to part with. Alternatively there are thread cutters such as this available but the last time I travelled with this my bag was searched and it it caused more confusion than a pair of scissors.

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