Tips when travelling?

[Spangoid]

So I have read a lot on here that many people seem to cross stitch when travelling, waiting for appointments and the like. I have billions of appointments that usually use the whole day and I get so bored no matter how good a book it is that I take with me. I dunno, I just find it hard reading when there is lots of noise.

When I am usually stitching, I either use my bed or the sofa and a tiny table. When travelling, I wont have the luxury of all this space, yet I would really like to try and stitch on the go as I think it will be very helpful in making the day less of a pain. So my question is how do people get around the lack of space when stitching on the move?

I have got these butterfly mini cards that I plan on doing when on the go and I have sorted threads so that makes that bit a bit easier. I am just not sure if there is anything easier than balancing everything on your legs...

Thanks!

[bookknurd]

When I take stitching with me to work or to appointments (anywhere where I'm not really going to spread out), I usually take a relatively small project, a bag (usually ziploc) with the threads in it, and a small notions bag with scissors/needles, etc. I don't take something where the chart is really complicated, etc.

I can stitch with the chart and bag in my lap and I keep the other stuff pretty much packed up. On my lunch break, it's easier because I know what time I have to stop. At appointments, I keep everything ready to just throw back in the bag so I can quickly get up when they call me back.

I'm sure everyone does it a bit differently. It's really not too difficult with small projects, and it's wonderful to put that time to use.

Hope you figure out a system that works for you!

[Ainjel333]

The only place I've taken stitching when traveling is to my in-laws (who are always in awe of my stitching), and to hotels where I can spread out if need be.

I'm also interested in how others do it at appointments and such. When I used to do miniature crochet a lot, I would take it as I only needed a hook, and a ball of thread, but I have issues with being in places with lots of people (anxiety and panic disorders). It drew such attention to me that I stopped but it was mostly that people always would be so interested in what I was doing and would ask questions and strike up conversation and I really couldn't accomplish much.

Do those of you that take projects to public places get a lot of attention like that?

[Heidi]

When I was in London and travelled to Stevenage, and back, I often thought about stitching, but unfortunately my project where to be big.

I think that if you work on small project, it should be a problem. I would get a small pouch that opens with everything ready and easy access, so that I could flip it open and stitch, but when I am done just close it.

[MaggieM1750]

.... I usually take a relatively small project, a bag (usually ziploc) with the threads in it, and a small notions bag with scissors/needles, etc. I don't take something where the chart is really complicated, etc.

I can stitch with the chart and bag in my lap and I keep the other stuff pretty much packed up. On my lunch break, it's easier because I know what time I have to stop...

This is exactly what I do. I don't bring projects to appointments.. only because I don't have appointments to go to. I stitch on the go more often than I stitch with myself properly set-up at home. I get most of my stitching done over my lunch hour. I'll pop things out at a deli, or stitch in my car or in a lawn chair at a park. I've stitched at my hair salon, around a campfire, at a library, in a bar, on a train.

All my projects are mid range size. Generally a finish size around a regular sized piece of paper, or smaller. I don't do things like HAEDS with their frequent color changes. Or things like Chatelaines or Mirabella mermaids with all that beading. I just don't do those types of projects. For the most part, my projects are straight cross stitch, or hardanger. Even when I am set up at home, I don't use a floor or lap stand, or a magnifier. Natural lighting near a window, or outside, is soooo nice, I miss it when I don't have it over the winter. So good lighting is generally not an issue for me.

I use either a 4" spring hoop or an 8x8 Q Snap. I tote things around in a vinyl zip top folder I picked up at the office supply store. Threads I keep in a little baggie, or the half sized stitchbow page. I have a small book that holds scissors and a few extra needles. I keep a pencil loose in the folder, or I'll pop it into my scissor thingy. I've thought about throwing a highlighter in my bag.. but I am too nervous the cap might come off, or the pen will leak/ explode. So.. pencil it is for me.

I keep everything either in my lap, or in the vinyl zip bag. When I cut a thread, the extra gets wound up right away, and it goes right back into its folder and into the vinyl zip bag. Scissors and pencil I either have in my lap, or in the zip bag. Chart pages are generally loose- if I am outside, I'll use my magnet board. Photocopies always.. the originals are filed away at home. But with my size projects, my charts are only 3-4-5 pages. I only have the page I am working on out, the rest are in the zip folder. For the most part, I keep everything contained in the zip folder. Then if I have to move quickly, or do a quick pack up, all I really have out is my fabric, a piece of paper, and maybe scissors and a pencil.

When you do pull projects out in public.. be prepared for interruptions, questions, people looking over your shoulder, etc. It can be a way to start a conversation- which many people do.
Happy stitching on the go

[Ruthi]

My current travelling piece is an Ehrmann tapestry because it doesn't need magnifcation. But I plan to buy a Mighty light vusion (when stitching from stash funds allow ) to help me see and maybe work on some little things like biscornus and the like. You can't rely on the lighting in these places.

If you are spending a lot of time waiting around then it might be worth investing in a lapman like the ones here
http://www.siestaframes.com/acatalog/ta ... tands.html" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

and I notice the small one is half price at the moment!!!! You could drop your bits in the base when called and move relatively quickly!

And yes, you do attract a lot of attention and questions, but it is ALL positive, and a chance to recruit the unwary to the hobby . Its highly likely that other waiters are equally bored, which is why they take such an interest! I don't mind, they are nice! I find it is a lot more relaxing when waiting around than reading a book.

[Rose]

I have a lapdesk that I use when I take my stitching to an appointment. I take a small project with few color changes and I have my tote bag that all the supplies go in.

I try to sit in a place were I have a spare chair next to me, usually if you sit next to the door others do not sit with you unless it is a full office and then you have to condense.

[afdish]

I almost always have a medium or small project WIP that goes where ever I go, and a larger WIP that gets worked on only at home. I stitch anywhere I have to sit and wait...doctors appointments, hair salon, airports, airplanes, lunch breaks, you name it. We currently live in a smallish city in southern New Mexico with limited shopping and entertainment options, so we are often driving somewhere an hour of more away. With my DH driving, I get to stitch the whole time (at least until it gets dark). Heck even a trip to Walmart in town, if DH is driving, I get a few minutes to and few minutes coming back to stitch.

I have a basic tote bag I got from Hobby Lobby that I use currently to carry around my travel WIP. I has the project on a Q-snap, the pattern mounted on cardboard or matboard or magnetic board, floss in envelopes in a ziplock baggie, and small zipper case that holds my scissors, 3x mag reading glasses (for working on evenweave), highlighters, travel ort container, thread heaven, and extra needle. I have carried previous medium sized projects in a backpack, because the tote wasn't quite big enough. I always mount my fabric on the q-snap so that I am stitching "in the well", and use a grime-guard/snuggie (which I make my own), and these help keep the project clean.

I can stitch with the tote in my lap, pattern resting on top, q-snap in my hands, and only pull out of the tote what I need, when I need it, and put it back. Otherwise, when possible I use a chair or end table next to me. I've gotten really good about quickly gathering everything up and getting it back into the tote.

I will often get people who ask about what I'm doing, and I really don't mind taking a minute or two to show them and chat about it. I'm not a real social person, but I can be quite friendly.

I've stitched on the go, basically since I started stitching. Mainly because starting out all the projects where small. It wasn't until later on I began doing larger projects that couldn't travel, so that is when I began having 2 WIPs going at the same time, one small travel WIP and the larger one at home.

I really hope you find a way that works for you, as it makes waiting at doctors appointments much more enjoyable.

[meganh]

When I take stitching with me to work or to appointments (anywhere where I'm not really going to spread out), I usually take a relatively small project, a bag (usually ziploc) with the threads in it, and a small notions bag with scissors/needles, etc. I don't take something where the chart is really complicated, etc.

I can stitch with the chart and bag in my lap and I keep the other stuff pretty much packed up. On my lunch break, it's easier because I know what time I have to stop. At appointments, I keep everything ready to just throw back in the bag so I can quickly get up when they call me back.

I'm sure everyone does it a bit differently. It's really not too difficult with small projects, and it's wonderful to put that time to use.

Hope you figure out a system that works for you!

I do the same thing too, anything that is not too complicated and is big enough for me to see without magnification--although i have a small light with a magnifier i will use traveling in the car .

good luck you will find something that works for you

[cairee]

I take my stitching to work for my lunchbreaks, and I take them on road trips. Ive taken BAPs, minis, samplers. doesnt matter really. for smaller projects I just dump the labled bobbins in a sandwich size ziplock with a pack of needes, scissors, a threader if needed. I put the project, pattern and the sandwich bag in a canvas bag. the ziplock takes up no space, and can even just sit in my lap. the pattern I usually clip to my hoop or q snap.
the only limitations I give myself are no beads (cleaning up spilled beads on the go is not something I will risk) and no scroll frames, they are just too heavy and akward to hold without a stand.

for BAPs the system is almost the same, I dont take all the colors, just the ones I will be working with on in the area of the page I am on, and I only take the pattern page Im working on.

[DahliaDoll]

It looks like you have a lot of ideas here. I would add that I keep a small piece of quilt batting (warm and natural) in my stitching case. All my small scraps of thread adhere to it till I'm ready to discard them.

[Spangoid]

Thank you for the fantastic advice! I had a quick read through it last night and decided that the butterfly I planned on taking had too many colour changes so as a first attempt at travelling, I put that aside and decided to start on the letter I on my litter monster Fiona's name plate who has just caused me heaps of problems by living up to her naughty self and chewing through a water bottle and flooding her cage... Don't worry - She's a hamster, not a child!

I can't say I got to have a go at it whilst travelling - The transport ambulance driver who took me on the way, well we were chatting the whole journey of just over an hour! I don't think that has ever happened before - You are lucky if you get one word out of them most the time!

So today I had lots of fun at the endoscopy department so I was expecting a lot of waiting around. That wasn't the case at all and after all the getting ready and convincing them to sedate me, it was over! However once that was finished, I had about 90 minutes to "recover" before they finally decided to let me get home and I used that time to get some stitching in between nurses checking everything every few seconds. It was annoying as all the blood pressure and that was normal by my standards but by a "normal" persons standard, it was dangerous. Thankfully they contacted a doctor who knew me who confirmed everything was fine as they were starting to talk about admitting me - No thanks!!!

I did get about half hour stitching in waiting for transport to bring me home, but I must of got all of 10 stitches done - There were some strange people who proved to be more interesting! And then on the journey home, disaster struck and I got this insane lung pain which was made unbearable by any little movement or any normal/deep breathing. Thankfully painkillers are making it more bearable now, however I am hoping it don't turn out to be what I am 99% sure it is and hoping my oxygen levels stay in the good zone otherwise I will end up with no choice but to go hospital. The reason I haven't bothered with going hospital is they ain't going to do anything other than what I am already doing at home so unless the oxygen drops, I shall get my mum to be my own private nurse!

Not sure why this has turned out to be such a ramble... Lots of painkillers seem to be having this effect on me lately... But I decide I will share my first attempt at stitching while travelling! Have another basically all day appointment next week so hopefully I will get a better chance then!

But no, thanks for the advice. There are lots of different ways to try should one fail but I really do like that frame/case/chuck everything in thingy and the fact that its half price is making me even more tempted but I hate to think how much I have spent in the past month or so since I discovered this new addiction!

[katiestitch]

I use a "cross stitch" purse. I have a fairly large purse that I use just for my cross stitching on the go. It has 3 sections (one zipper part and two side pockets).

In the zipper section, I have: WIP, clipboard, and hoop. I keep my cross stitch wip (either in a ziploc bag or its' plastic container) and letter size clipboard. I use the clipboard to clip my pattern on. I turn it over and use the back side to put my cloth on my hoop.

In the side pocket, I have my bobbin box and a small plastic case for my highlighters and/or colored pencils. Inside the bobbin box, I have my threads, needles, and scissors.

In the other side pocket, I keep my cell phone, keys, wallet, sometimes a paperback, or whatever else I may need on the go.

This works for me. I'm not carrying around access baggage with me and fear of leaving my regular purse behind.

[Serinde]

Yup. Most of the above! Keep it small and relatively simple, don't forget scissors -- I usually use my Clover cutter on a lanyard -- make sure you can see it (!), make sure it's interesting enough to keep you going... but be prepared to only do a few stitches before hosts of admirers with questions arrive!

[Cora]

This thread has been fun to read. It's interesting to me that most of you say you have to spread out, or need room.
I take my cross stitch with me everywhere, I even lug it around the house into different rooms. The largest project I've done is 11 x 16, so maybe that makes a difference.
I keep my floss in two plastic boxes, on bobbins. I keep my scissors and extra needles and what not in the boxes too. I keep all my stuff in a cloth shopping bag. I put my project inside a ziplock baggie. For the chart, I use my printer and make a copy of the chart on photo paper, then I cut it up in manageable sections and just do little section at a time. I use a 4 inch round frame thingy (not sure what the real name for it is.) I roll the rest of the project up around the the frame and use binder clips to hold it in place, I also use the binder clips to hold my little piece of cart I'm working with. This is what that looks like

Having the chart right there on the project is a huge help.

[NeedleAndFork]

I have at home projects (haeds and others with lots of color changes) and on the go projects - usually single or few color pieces. My preference for on the go is a monochromatic piece - currently this one..



I have it in a 6x8 qsnap, and since I am stitching 1 over 1 on 32 count fabric, a single length of 6 strands of floss cut to about 15 inches is a few days worth of stitching so I don't have to fuss with multiple bobbins. I have a zippered pouch that's just the right size to hold the qsnap, my kindle ereader (which is where I keep my pattern as I can enlarge it as much as I want on there, and the battery from a single charge lasts for weeks) a small pair of scissors, and the floss. I'll usually have a spare needle tucked into the bit of fleece that I use between the frame and the snap to keep it tight just incase I drop or break my working needle. A project of this sort is great for doing a few stitches here and there since it is easy to find my spot and stitch even for just 10 minutes, and on a monochrome pattern, I find I don't need to mark my pattern when I finish a stitch to keep up wth where I am.

Occasionally I'll take something with multiple colors with me. When I do that I have the qsnap - again at 6x8 - that's a great size for staying portable, and my floss card, which looks something like this:


This image is of the floss cards for my HAED - smaller projects I just hand write the numbers and symbols of each color the project uses and punch holes to hold a length of each color. That way I can grab it and my stitching and work without needing to fuss with bobbins every time I need a new color which makes the piece more portable, be it while out and about or even working in a different part of the house.