Does your sewing machine travel with you?
 

Last week we were camping at a state park. In front of the camper I set up a mini sewing area with a featherweight in my SewEasy table and an ironing station. It was so peaceful and I got to do people watching at the same time. So here we are at another park waiting to pick up 2 granddaughters for a couple of days of swimming and fun. Tonight I clipped the binding down on a quilt so I can finish the hand binding, while they swim. I don’t like the water. Tomorrow morning I will iron pieces outside so they are ready for adding the final piece. Then I have a lot of other things I can pin in preparation for sewing when I get home while the girls swim or kayak.

Do projects and a sewing machine join you in your travels?

The week at the lake in August is me, my machine, and the loons (i.e birds and family). Love being in the screened in porch with my glass of wine looking out over the water!

We take lawn chairs and enjoy music in the park at the band shell once a week. I like to bring a quilt and hand sew the binding there. People approach me & ask questions otherwise they’d just walk by.

I’m so very envious ! You can invite me & I won’t even touch your wine because I’m allergic to it !

I often take my sewing machine with me to the cabin, especially in the fall, and during hunting season. I set up on the dining table that overlooks the lake, and can spend hours sewing when the guys are gone from dawn to dusk!

I always have a hand sewing project when we travel on the road, it doesn’t bother me to sew or read in the car. For the first time, I have not brought my sewing machine to the island in which I live on in the summer in Maine but I have started a hand appliqué project and I spend a lot of time in my vegetable garden, kayaking and anything I can do outdoors.

My machine never goes anywhere, but sometimes I take a quilt with me when I know there will be plenty of waiting time to finish hand sewing on the binding. I am doing only baby and kids quilts now, so it's not a problem to lug them with me. Most of the time, I just carry a book. It's easier. As for vacations, I haven't been on one for many years.

I've taken my machine with me to visit the grands and to my winter home. And, of course, i always goes with me to retreats.

I’ve taken my 301 in my camper many times. I had a desk set up specifically for that. I went to deer camp with my husband and the lake with friends and I even took it on vacation to Florida once. I’m so glad I did because it rained most of the week! I enjoyed myself no matter. :-) We sold the camper so no more traveling with my machine. :-/

I usually take my machine with me when I visit relatives.

My machine is hooked to my hip so to speak, yes it travels with me if I am able to sew other wise I always have my knitting to do

I have a machine at the son’s house who lives far away but I use it to mend their things. When we are there we are busy with family so I don’t even thing about things quilt related except when I walk to their local quilt store. Our other trips are places I want to be and we are involved with the trip. We don’t camp or travel in an RV so would be impractical. Also for me, quilting is a hobby I enjoy but I am not compelled to quilt every day. I do it when I want to. My mojo comes and goes and I have learned to roll with it

I Always have a sewing machine packed and ready to go. Indoors or outdoors have sewing machine will travel. I can't do the camping thing anymore because of my health. But I still like to go down to the lake with the machine and plug in at the beach house and sit at a picnic table. (we have a lake association and club house.) I also take it when I go to my children's homes so I can teach the grandchildren how to sew. It goes with me to siblings and friends homes as well as my sit and sews and guild meetings.
As portable as the FW is I am not sure yet if it will travel with me for the time being. I want to get use to it first. I am pretty soon that will change soon though.

I love to travel with a simple hand sewing project, knitting (usually a hat or dishcloths) or crochet (granny squares). I can get an awful lot done while I'm relaxing. I don't take my sewing machine on vacation, but I will take it to DD's house across town for crafting days.

You all are amazing!

I have friends who quilt while RVing or other travel. I don't travel much but I do have portable machines that I can take with me. And I have to admit, most of the people I visit have machines set up at their house which I can use, and we usually do a project or two together.

So far I haven't but I always have a hand project to take to appointments, on trips, etc.
That may change soon as I'm going to be a Grandmother and will be going to DC a lot. But I probably won't feel like sewing! :) I could bring my FW along if it happens.

We have a small RV and my FW fits exactly in the space behind the coffee maker on the bottom shelf.... I maybe only use it once or twice a trip, but if DH wants to go for a longer bike ride than me, it is fun to have along.
I always have hand work with me, as I like to get up early, do my stretches outside and sit with my coffee and listen to the birds.

I take embroidery or hand sewing, but not my machine. When we travel, we are usually taking in the local tourist stuff. I did take it with me when accompanied DH to his writer's conference and knew I'd either shop or sew.

I always take my machine with me when we travel/camp in our 5th wheel. We are getting ready to leave for Island Park, ID in 10 days. I usually do baby quilts and table runners, and have them cut and ready to go when we get there. I love sewing in our 5th wheel. We park in the woods and the scenery from our "picture window" is so soothing and enjoyable.

Boothbay is beautiful. ��. What Island do you live on in the summer?

there is a great facebook group RVQuilters

I took out the recliners to make my little sewing room with a picture window
I put the machine in the carry case and lay the table on it's back when traveling.

I eat to live, but live to quilt...we are leaving for a few months on Wednesday, I have three quilts precut :) I may only get four hours of sewing in, but I don't plan to run out of things to sew!

That is a fantastic set up. I am so jealous! :). I think you may have to fight your furbaby for the sewing chair tho'

I don't take my sewing machine but I never leave home without some sort of hand sewing in a tote. My husband goes golfing at different stops as we travel so I like to have something to do with my hands. I love to do hand embroidery so this is a great time to have peace and quiet to enjoy the sewing.

Ooh, that sounds so perfect! And I love to sleep on a screened-in porch. May I ask what lake you visit?

My dad battled Parkinson's from 1998 and died in 2012. He was in hospitals and nursing homes beginning in late 2004. I became interested in machine embroidery in or around 2008. Took also quilting classes. Long story short, I made two queen size quilts in hospitals and nursing homes. I pieced row after row in dad's room one day into the night. Nurse kept asking me if I wanted to spend the night. "No, I am going home here shortly." At 1:00 am I replied that yes, I would like sheets and a blanket, pillow, taking her up on her offers finally. I got all but the last three rows done in that one hospital stay for my dad. I would spread it out over his bed as he was sleeping heavily. He finally woke up, and asked me "is that for your bed?" So he was released and went back to the nursing home located in a nearby town. It had a fabulous quilt shop! I worked on it some more in his room. Well, decided to increase the size so made a trip to the local quilt store, cut more squares. Next hospital trip months down the road the last row or two were sewn on. I called it the hospital/nursing home quilt. In the meantime my mother entered nursing homes and assisted living facilities as well. I had taken another quilt class in the town, LQS where she was located, a pineapple quilt. In 2011 they were joined in the same facility in our city, and a year later daddy passed away. But before he did, one night while he and my brother were watching TV in the day room, I sandwiched that first quilt on the floor, and got it all pinned, ready to sew the rows in water soluble thread. Rolled it up, put it away until "whenever". Three months after daddy passed, mother had a stroke. She was admitted in the hospital for 15 days in the most wonderful room, with an extended area of a small dining table !!!!!, a fold out bed, and actually a restaurant downstairs. Needless to say I rolled my machine in, and the day before she was released to go back to the nursing home, I had not only the rows sewn down with water soluble thread, but had FMQ feathers all over this queen size quilt.

At the nursing home she at the time did not have a roommate and I wanted to monitor her daily, so what better way to do that by bringing my machine and quilt, cut and sew the binding. Finished it. Then began adding on the the pineapple quilt and got it all done, row by row. This story goes on....ditto, quilted it by rows, with a little FMQ inside patches here and there. Finished it in another hospital in 2014, a specialty hospital in another town for wound care. So, I have two batik quilts that were done in hospital rooms and nursing home rooms. Thanks to rolling totes!

What a great way to turn what could have been completely horrible times into a time that could include something partially stress relieving and positive.

Well the story is still going on today. My mother is still living at 93 but with many health issues. This year, the entire month of February she returned to the small town where she was in the specialty hospital, Luling, TX. They are so accommodating to family members of the patient. Mother's sacral pressure wound had reopened and she was there from the night of Jan. 30 through March 1, 2019. They rolled in a cot for me to sleep on in her room. The maintenance guy even dug up for me from a vacant office a table on which I could set my machine to sew. I finished a tote bag, photo attached, for my 2nd cousin in San Antonio who teaches first grade. Not to mention, since mother was there in Aug of 2014, the town now has an amazing quilt shop, Holly Dee's Quilts. Made a few visits there as well!

Now that mother has been back since March 1, I have used her night stand in her room, upon which my MacAir is on as I type right now, but am i the process of cutting strips for another quilt. I just roll in every afternoon things to occupy with while here and she seems to always feel more comfortable and happier when I am with her. I use a rotating cutting mat and away I go. Don't really have much more to cut, actually.

I take my machine every time I can … we usually travel in a trailer so it isn't too difficult. I usually prep a project and either cut out a quilt, handwork, or sew something I have prepped. I love it … no disturbances!