Are you heading out with your sewing machine
or maybe a family member needs help with a repair
or you're staying with some friends on a quilting retreat?
How do you know what to pack?
Some people pack too much,
some people pack too little
and there are some things that just cannot be forgotten
or they'll ruin the whole trip.
I have been asked many times what to pack for a retreat.
So today I'm going to show you what's in my travel bag.
And stay to the end where you can download
my travel kit packing list.
So stick with me and I'll show you how I do it.
(soft music)
Hi, I'm Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.
I give you tips, tricks and strategies
to help you make the quilt that you want to make
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Sometimes you need to take your sewing machine on the road.
You might have a request from a family member
to help with a repair or you're going on vacation
and you'd like to bring along a project,
or maybe you're just joining a group of friends
on a retreat.
Planning your travel kit ahead of time is so important
so that you don't leave anything behind,
but you also need to balance this
by not burdening yourself with too much stuff.
I have a basic travel kit packed and ready to go
at all times, in fact, I keep it in my car,
so I'm always prepared.
It contains the bare minimum for me,
so that I can sew anywhere.
(soft music)
I purchased this bag from Michael's with a 60% off
Boxing Day coupon.
I believe it's actually a scrap booking travel case.
Other than the colour, it suits my purposes fine.
I like that there's a pocket on the front,
on the lid and two on both sides.
And of course it is on wheels.
Now, remember my video, "Organise Your Sewing Space"?
The foundation is your sewing triangle,
and this is no different.
My sewing machine is my Bernina 910,
which I bought way back in 1983.
And it's still my favourite machine.
When you update your machine, don't trade in your old one,
as this is the perfect place to keep it.
You know how it works, you have all the accessories
and chances are, it has less electronics in it,
so it's less fragile.
From my interview on Karen's Quilt Circle with Bernina Jeff,
I was reminded to store it with the presser foot down.
I removed my sewing bed and put it here
and then I take my sewing machine and put it in here
in the large compartment.
Your foot pedal and your power cord.
I have seen more retreats ruined by forgetting
one or both of these items.
With almost everything else,
you can purchase missing supplies from a local quilt store
or borrow from a friend,
but not these items,
even if you're lucky enough to have a dealer nearby,
costs to purchase one might be prohibitive.
So always check that you have these ones,
at least three times.
Once when you put it in the bag,
once when you zip it up and at least one last time
before you drive off.
This is the original accessories kit
that came with my machine.
I keep all my presser feet,
including the walking foot together.
I also keep a set of bobbins here
and tools to clean the machine,
which include oil, tweezers, a screwdriver
and a pipe cleaner.
For my cutting station,
I bring a 45 millimetre rotary cutter with extra blades.
And when the old blades are full,
I take it home and sharpen them with my sharpener
and put them back in the new one.
And I store my rotary cutter and my blades
in this front pocket.
And I keep a pair of sheers here too.
Cutting boards are the toughest to bring along,
as the larger ones are harder to carry.
They also need to lie flat
and if they warp, they're ruined
and then very expensive to replace.
So I have compromised with this
14" rotary cutting board.
It can't cut with the strip fabrics easily.
So I do those at home,
but it's perfectly fine for all the slicing, trimming
and squaring that I need to do.
And I carry two rulers at 12 1/2" square
and a 12" by 6".
Not only is this ruler easy to hold,
it also has the 30, 45 and 60 degree lines
if I have to do some specialty cutting.
And they all tuck in nice and neatly
right here on the front.
For my ironing station,
I have purchased a 14" by 14" wool ironing mat.
And I have this mini Alessio iron.
And I put it inside the scrap catcher
with a small spritz bottle.
And I tuck it into the side pocket of the case.
And the wool mat just slides in here.
I've also tucked in the following,
the extension cords, because power is not always close
and I carry two,
and I carry this one now with the USB ports,
so I can also charge my iPhone and my watch.
And I use VELCO strap to keep it all tidy.
A roll of masking tape.
Not only do I use this for ledges,
but I've MacGyvered myself
out of a couple of situations with it.
I tuck a cleaning cloth into the side pocket.
Into this black pencil case,
I am going to put a cuticle stick,
a pencil for marking, a Sharpie.
I'm going to put some clips,
just going to clip them here on the pocket,
a thimble, measuring tape, a larger clip, a stitch ripper,
some needles, a sticker glue and some snips.
And I tucked them all in and they go here.
I also keep a set of neutral threads
and a set of needles in 70, 80, 90 and a denim one.
Into this pocket on the lid,
I am going to put my threads, my sewing machine needles
and Mike pin cushion with pins in it.
So that's my travel bag.
It is a bit heavy,
but it has two handles on the side
that I can lift the bag from.
And once it's on the rollers, it's easy peasy.
And I store it in my car with two bungee cords
so that it doesn't move around.
This kit it goes in my car and goes everywhere my car goes.
I have been perfecting this over the years
and right now I feel this is a really good system.
Not only can it handle about 90% of my quilting
and sewing needs,
it also has a small footprint for those situations
where I need to share a table
When I know I'm going to have time to sew
or I'm going to spend time with friends,
I bring along projects.
Now, how many projects do I take?
Well, it depends on how many days I'm going for.
In general, I like to take one project
for every day of sewing,
plus a hand sewing project.
More importantly, for me,
I like to take projects that are at different stages
of quilting.
So I like a 30 minute starter project,
a fast finish project,
a binding project,
a scrappy block project,
a free motion quilting project
and English paper piecing,
but not all of them, just a variety
because I don't know what I will be inspired
to do that day.
I want choices.
And I also want to feel that I've accomplished something
by the end.
I also need to remind myself that relaxing and disconnecting
can be just as important when I'm away from home.
So I need to be realistic and not over-pack.
Before I pack, I review each of my projects patterns
and pack any extra items like tools, rulers, thread,
and supplies.
And I keep them all separate in a container on its own.
This also keeps the project from sprawling.
I also try to do any major cutting before I go.
So if I need to cut strip sets or large squares,
I do that at home where I have the space to spread out.
Now, depending on where I'm going,
I might consider other items,
like a seat cushion or leg risers, a light, a design board.
This beauty is more awkward to put up,
but it's great when I don't have the wall space
or I'm not allowed to stick anything on the walls.
When I am going with friends,
we usually divide the responsibility
of the larger items between us.
One brings the ironing board and iron,
another one brings the big cutting boards,
another person brings the tables.
And I mark my tool with my name.
I like to share.
I also like to move about,
and despite my best efforts to stay organised,
my tools like to wander.
And before I drive off,
I give myself a moment to check my bags.
Normally, I count them,
because my suitcase can look very similar to my sewing bag.
And I often make so many trips to the car
that I can easily leave something behind,
especially if I'm sharing trunk space with another quilter.
And remember to triple check that power cord and foot pedal.
Well, this is my travel bag.
If you are wanting to download a copy
of my travel kit packing list,
you can find it on my website at,
justgetitdonequilts.com/downloads.
I have so missed getting together with my quilting friends,
with everybody vaccinated and with restrictions lifting,
I hope to be off for a weekend get together soon.
And speaking of get togethers,
you can join me on a cruise.
Next year, 2022 from May 13th to May 22nd,
I will be on a cruise to Alaska
and you can find more details on my website under Events.
This week on Karen's Quilt Circle, I had Cathy Hay
and we were talking about the peacock dress
and big long-term projects.
The triggers, the scope, and how to jump in.
She was a lovely woman and you don't want to miss it.
I'll leave a link to it in the notes below.
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and of course my website,
justgetitdonequilts.com.
So take care and I'll see you next time.