sewfaster

i would like some suggestions on traveling with my sewing machine. I will be taking my sewing machine with me from California to North Carolina any suggestions should I have it as a carry on? Please help

GEMRM

My friend travels with her Brother (Walmart, inexpensive model) all the time. She puts it in her carry-on and it fits the airline size restrictions. I think she took the needle out and packed in her checked bag. I am not sure if that is necessary, or her idea just in case the airline wanted to take away. I have not personally travelled with my sewing machine by air. Others here will hopefully give you some more personal feedback. I do not think I would want to ship in checked baggage unless it was packed in original styrofoam type packing. It will need to adjust to temperature change too before using if it goes by checked baggage,

BMP

I would UPS it to and from...I wouldnt want to have to deal with it as a carry on things get heavy when you need to transfer all around in airports, also you still might have to have it ck'd if there is too many caryon's by the rest of the passengers, it happened to us in FEB. At the gate they start giving out those tags and you have no choice.

Grambi

I took my Pfaff QE 4.0 as a carry-on from Dallas to Seattle. I used a standard wheeled sewing caddy (such as they sell at Hancocks fabrics). It fit in the overhead bin but was heavy to lift and I relied on the kindness of strangers for help with that task. If I were going to do it again I would invest in a Totes (sp?) sewing machine caddy because the handle pulls fro)m the narrow end so it could be wheeled all the way down the aisle. The cheaper caddies have the handle on the wide side and it cannot be wheeled between the seats. I had to carry that sucker all the way to the back of the plane where I was seated and it about broke my back. Then had to lug it to the front when I landed. I would have gladly paid the price of the more expensive caddy to have avoided that misery. I wouldn't consider checking my expensive machine. I have since bought a Featherweight and a soft sided case for it so, if I ever want to fly with my machine I can just fit it under the seat in front of me.

lalaland

I travel with a sewing machine to WA and to TX at least twice a year. I found a nice compact small duffel bag at Walmart and I've used it to take each of these machines at one time or another - my Brother LS2125, Janome 720 and my Janome 760 on the plane with me. It fits nicely in the overhead compartment, doesn't take up a lot of space. I do wrap bubble plastic around it once just for my piece of mind but I've never had problem. The machines are light so I carry them but I rent one of those push carts at the airport if I have to walk a long ways. It's worth the buck or two.

nstitches4u

I have never taken my machine when I have flown, but I definitely would not put it in checked baggage. When we flew back from Hawaii last year, the airline left our luggage sitting out on the tarmac in the rain for 4 hours while they waited for our plane to have a mechanical problem fixed. Everything in it was ruined along with the luggage. All of the new clothes we had purchased for the cruise were ruined. Delta did pay for replacing everything, but it was a hassle. I would not leave my machine at their mercy!

catmcclure

Most sewing machines will fit inside a standard carry-on bag. I've flown with my machine several times. No way will I check a machine that cost as mine. The real joke about flying with a sewing machine is TSA swabbing them for explosives.

Peckish

Bonnie Hunter packs her FW in her carry-on. I would not check a machine, those baggage holds get cold and the bags are thrown around a lot.

nativetexan

I wouldn't UPS it myself. not with all the recent videos of drivers tossing pkgs over fences. yikes!!

Elaine433

I know I wouldn't check my machine with the baggage. I also would not want to UPS the machine. If I were going to visit and I wanted to have a machine to use when I got there, I would either look for a low cost machine that was light weight that I could use as a back up when I got home or I would look to rent one when I got there. If you could afford a low cost machine and then decided that you really didn't want to keep it, you could always sell it afterward.