Portable patchwork, mobile stitchery, or quilting-on-the-go… No matter what we call our little take-along handwork projects, we quilters often live by the motto, “never leave home without it!” Whether waiting in the doctor’s office, traveling on an airplane, or watching a little league game, we quilters take advantage of any downtime away from home with English paper piecing, applique, embroidery, binding, and more.
I have a little bag that I grab when I know I’ll have time to work on a favorite hand project. My bag has contained everything from Cathedral Windows blocks that have traveled with me on camping trips and family reunions, to hundreds of hand pieced 2 1/2” scraps that have made the trip to the coast and back many times! Currently, my bag holds blocks that I’m hand appliqueing and quilting for a pillow. I like that time spent at my granddaughter’s swim lessons is also time spent quilting!
MPS guild members Linda G. and Dianne McD. agree that English paper piecing is a great choice for portablility. Linda has a project she has in mind for her next trip. She says, “I began it while crossing Europe and it triggered lots of conversations with other travelers. First, they could not believe the one inch hexagon would become a quilt. And many folks shared stories of the women in their lives who quilted. I’m a knitter and find knitting much more portable. I always have a knitting project going with me.”
Dianne doesn’t carry handwork everywhere she goes. She does, however, keep some paper piecing in her travel trailer for when she needs a sewing fix. Dianne explains, “All of these hexies are 3/4 inch and I’m just using my scraps from my hand-dyed projects. These photos were from a ‘let’s see if I can do something with these hexies’ session. I have over 200 so far, but need to make a lot more before I decide how I’m going to use them.”
Claudia J. has a unique take-along project using the Sashiko embroidery technique. Her purchased kit has designs of sea creatures and birds pre-printed on fabric. A large stitch is used to follow the dashed lines. “Very portable,” says Claudia. Another kit which she finds easy to transport is one she purchased from a local printing company. It is a hand piecing project which came with the fabric pre-cut and the stitch lines pre-printed.
Summer travel plans offer plenty of time for quilting-on-the-go projects. What’s in your take-along bag?
Submitted by Barbara S.
Inspiring. Thanks for the reminder of how to enjoy those moments away from our machines.
Love that Sashiko project!
Thank you! I have enough for a queen top but need to have some sort of sashing for the sea creatures. I was hoping to do ocean waves though it would be real tiny piecing. I am open to any ideas! The thread glows-in-the-dark and I want to quilt it with a glowing thread too.