I sure would appreciate suggestions for a project I can work on, on an airplane. I will be taking a 14 hour flight in the fall, and that's one way! It will also be 14 hours back! Ugg! Plus it's a four hour flight to get to LA to get on that flight. My daughter is having her first baby. She is in Brisbane, Australia. I think that I can take a child's safety scissors and I think I can take sewing needles. I am at a loss for ideas, so dear friends, help!

how about english paper piecing. my favorite or embrodier, thats handy .. enjoy seeing your daughter and new grandbaby... molly

check with the airline you are flying --- just before you go---the list of items you are allowed to take changes...and is different for different airlines- so it's important to check with the specific airline- it would be a bummer to loose a tool important to you...this happened to me- we flew out west- the airline we went on allowed sewing scissors 4"long or shorter- with sharp points.
i took a grandma's flower garden project to work on on the plane.
on the way back 2 weeks later my wonderful stork scissors were confiscated---the agent was VERY RUDE ABOUT IT when my hubby and i stated- they came with me in the same travel case as they are in now---just 2 weeks ago...

today- according to the rules you can have scissors up to 4" long- pins, needles, pin cushion...
to be on the safe side though i recommend doing all the prep work- so you wont need scissors- and pick up a little thread cutter pendant you can wear to snip threads.

I always choose embroidery over any kind of hand sewing. Silly isn't it, since they are pretty much the same thing. If you like to embroider, there are 1000's of pre-stamped items out there.

Do you like to hand embroider? You could have your blocks ready and your designs marked and spend the whole time making embroidered blocks for a new project when you get back...?

Other than that, do a google search for hand quilting projects and you'll have lots of ideas if you want to go that route.

I like grandmother's flower garden for airplanes. Buy a cheap pair of safety scissors so you won't be sorry if they get confiscated. I haven't had an issue yet but you never know...

I have paper pieced a quilt, but I don't know what English paper piecing is but I will check it out. Thanks!

If you have a hand project that just needs threads to be cut, not fabric, you can bring a Clover pendant instead of scissors.
You can find them all over (JoAnn's , Michaels etc.) Also on line:

http://www.amazon.com/Clover-Thread-.../dp/B000YQH0K8

I'm sort of a new quilter, so I don't know what all this stuff is. What is grandmother's flower garden?

What about quilt-as-you-go placemats? They are fun, fast, and useful!

Grandmother's Flower Garden is a gorgeous quilt made of about a zillion tiny hexagons sewn around pieces of card stock or heavy paper. It's a beautiful pattern that I know I will always be too lazy to make. :-(

Do a quick Google for images. There are many.

What about embroidery?

:thumbup: :thumbup:

WOW - just found a project perfect to take on a plane - right here on todays topics: Hydrangea avatar folding tut - from a lady in Australia!!! Looks like you could have everything already cut out (& put in ziplocks) & just need thread, needle & sm. thread cutter.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-128379-1.htm

Good luck & congrats on the new grand baby - have a blessed trip

I saw they had a "airline friendly" scissors in the latest Keepsake Quilting catalog.

I like a Hawaiian pillow case pattern. It is needle turn and then later hand quilt.

What about pre-cutting yoyos and then pulling them together on the plane. You could use two big zip lock bags, one for the cuts and the other for yoyos. If you didn't have a color pattern in mind, you could attach a few then go back to making a few.

I will definitely go over each and every suggestion. I could probably take quite a few projects with me. I'll have to stock up on zip lock bags! :)

I'd make yo-yos. They don't require as much attention to detail as embroidery projects. Sometimes airline lighting leaves something to be desired. You could have enough for a table runner by the time you fly there and back. I'm making my next ones with the Clover yo-yo maker. I made them the old way in the 70s to make a vest. There's a new Clover yo-yo maker that makes flowers, too.

I just put together a small wall hanging and then marked it and am hand quilting it. Very fun actually! (my first time trying hand quilting and loving it!) Very compact, I have a baggie with my thread, needles, scissors and thimble and then the fabric.

today- according to the rules you can have scissors up to 4" long- pins, needles, pin cushion...


I don't understand the thought behind these rules...they let knitting needles on the plane! I would think they could do more damage than 4" pins. I'm just saying.

Yo Yos?? Grab a charm pack (or two...or three...) a Clover Yo Yo Maker....and you are golden! :)

You can pack a small dental floss in your purse to cut thread.

Cathedral window squares all set up and ready to sew?

How about Sunbonnet Sue or Sam, Blocks, also Animal Blocks..12 x 12 squares or smaller.. I find it well done on the air plane.. then when you get there or back you will have it all done but the batting and backing..

OOps forgot the needle , they do not let you bring that, unless you use a piece of foil wrap around it , .. I used that and it was not detected ... :oops: I am soooo bad , sorry

I wear one of these on a nice chain and it just looks like a pendant on a necklace!

You were lucky. I used to wrap some toothpicks in foil and leave in my purse.
And guess what? Needless to say...no more foil for me. Every airline/airport
is different. I would not take the risk to bring anything sharp that's valuable
even if I was told it was OK. They can change the rule like the weather.
The worst is when you have to go through several airports to reach your
destination. I've had to toss stuff to go buy again 5 minutes later. H-E-L-L

How about Chicken Scratch? That trip has surely shortened a lot. It used to be an 18 hour flight just from Hawaii.Enjoy your trip and family visit.

I'm not a huge fan of doing it this way, but if you've never done applique, maybe find a applique pattern that you like, cut out and fuse to block. Then all you have to do is the stitching around the block. A sunbonnet sue would be darling with a blanket stitch, scottie dogs, etc. I prefer the needleturn, so I trace out my design on my block for the pieces with a water soluable marker, cut out all the pieces and put each block in a separate ziploc bag with the color of thread I'll need. Maybe a couple different types of projects, in case, you get bored just doing one?

I agree with sewcrafty. Pack a few different projects if you can. I took Yoyos one year (for a much shorter flight) and got soooo bored with making them.
Now, knitting washcloths with variegated yarn, I can do that til the cows come home.

When are you coming to Brisbane - I hope it isnt too soon as they get cold westerlies in August when the Agricultural Show is on. I live in Dalby which is about 2 1/2 hrsdrive from Brissvegas as we call it. Hope you have a lovely stay - I cannot help with the project - maybe some stitichery orsomething small

besides the ideas above maybe some redwork so you only have to deal with one color on the flight and also i was going to suggest the dental floss case instead of scissors. like one person said have a few diferent things in your tote or whatever so you can change projects if you tire of one. boy that is a long flight. I thought germany was long not compared to that. good luck nd have fun.

I agree you can do English paper piecing.. have it all ready in zippy bags.. and baby nail clippers work great to snip threads.. and are legal.

I had my sewing needles taken in security once..so now I put one in my bra! Also had trouble bringing a small pair of sissors, so now I bring a small pair of nail clippers and they work fine for. Emb threads...life is crazy!

It all depends on the day the security guard are having when when you go through security. Honestly one day the scissors are okay the next day their not.

How about yo-yo's? You can cut them ahead of time and sew them on the plane; they look great as quilts or pillow tops. Also...cathedral windows. Put fabric in center with dab of glue stick, have them prepinned, and ready to go for the sewing.

How about embroidering some baby bibs or burpers?

Sorry no needles on planes anymore my Daughter had to throw all her sharp stuff in the bin at the door.

I made yo-yos on the plane for this cute baby toy. Killed two birds with one stone by sewing something on the plane and it was for the new grandbaby!

http://store.dknits.com/pd-yo-yo-elephant-pattern.cfm

Enjoy your new bundle of love

I have heard that the cutter on teeth flossing thread is allowed. Good if you are only cutting threads Diane Chisholm