If you’ve followed me for any length of time you’ll know that I’m always busy doing something quilt related, whether it’s longarm quilting, fabric rescuing, pattern designing, pattern testing or quilt making, my hands are always busy! So it should come as no surprise that I take some form of EPP (English Paper Piecing) with me most places I go - I even took it on honeymoon!
As it happens I’m writing this blog post on holiday, currently in 36 degree heat in California, an absolute treat for my sun loving South African soul and having been sharing bits and pieces of my holiday sewing with you all and many of you asking what my holiday sewing set up is like, I thought I’d show you what’s in my sewing bag!
My sewing set up is usually done in two parts when I go away - an on the plane sewing bag and a while I’m there sewing bag. The simple reason being I’ve heard it can be quite hit and miss with scissors being taken away and I wouldn’t want my precious Tula Pinks (4 inch large ring micro-tip scissors) being added to the confiscated pile and depending what I’m working on I might have a selection of needles with me, which I’d also rather keep.
My plane sewing bag is actually one of the pages I made for my Everything in its Place Bag 2.0, the different compartments are great for holding all the things I need and the sparkly vinyl is not only super pretty but means I can see everything without having to take it all out. My in the suit case bag is a really gorgeous pouch made for me as an extra gift in a swap by my very talented friend Amber (@simply.amber.m) it’s such a great size for travel and it holds loads! Also it’s Tula and just generally gorgeous!!
My go to travel essentials are of course Aurifil thread in my favourite neutral colour - 2309 Silver White, it’s just so versatile and stitches beautifully and a little travel size dental floss. What? What did she say? Yes I said dental floss! Whilst you can’t take scissors on the plane (or don’t want to risk you’re fav pair being confiscate) you can take this little guy on without any problems and the cutter is perfect for thread!
Another great item to have in your sewing bag for EPP on the go are some Sew Tites, these magical little magnets not only hold the pieces together when stitching but also double up as a needle minder which is super handy to keep loose needles under control and not lost in the plane seat. There are quite a few different versions of these available but obviously I’ve got the Tula ones!
I always have a variety of needles with me, multiples of specific ones I’m using for projects and a couple of different additional ones just in case - my go to as you can see are Clover, they have such a variety, are really well made and long lasting. I’ve tried a couple other brands of the No 10 Sharps (my go to for EP) and I find I can snap them like toothpicks so easily mid stitch!
This holiday I’ve actually got two different projects with me, something I’ve never done before I usually just have the one, a new EPP project I’m in the process of playing with and my mega rainbow quilt of dreams being made as part of the Alison Glass Kantha sew-along. I’ve never actually brought a whole big quilt away either!
For the EPP project I’m using the Clover Gold Eye Sharps No 10, they are super tiny and I love them because they make small neat stitches which practically disappear into the fabric pieces.
For the Kantha quilt I’ve been experimentI got with the Clover Sashiko Needles (the long ones) the big eyes are great because the Wonderfil Perle Cotton is quite thick and it goes through so easily. The longer length means you can load up a few stitches at a time which is also great for quicker progress.
They are thicker than any other needle I’ve ever used and seriously sharp, this quilt is definitely wing made with love and swear words because when you catch yourself with these bad boys it really does hurt!
My travel sewing bag is not wildly different from my at home sewing bag in terms of the contents, I don’t tend to keep all the EPP papers and fabric for a project in my sewing bag at home but other than that this is what it looks like. I’ve got some bees wax in there to keep my thread smooth and tangle free, a leather thimble because it’s the only one I could ever get on with - although it could probably do with replacing as it’s quite well used in places, the super excellent double ended seam fix from Hemline ( I’ve got a whole separate post for you all about this beauty!) and some binding clips just in case things need holding together.
I do quite a bit of EPP so my sewing bag is always next to me on the sofa in the evening if I’m watching the telly or if I’ve got a quilt to bind because I love to hand sew binding down, it really makes me fell like I’ve finished the quilt off.
So that’s it, a look inside my sewing bag and a bit more info on my favourite things I like to use. What’s in your sewing bag? What are your favourite go to things? Let me know in the comments - I might need them too!
Happy Quilting