To-Go-Kit Series

#3 Sewing

Got travel plans?

I love to travel, and whether it’s a jaunt to Europe or across the country, or a road trip to the Texas Hill Country, I absolutely hate to be without what I need while I’m traveling, simply because I failed to plan. A spontaneous traveler, I am not.

It is possible to keep on top of the packing situation by having a few things already put together. That way, all you have to do is slip them into your luggage and you’re good to go!

We’re going to dive into the third installment of the To-Go-Kit series with a sewing kit. I’m going to give you a couple of choices, so you can be sure you’re taking only what you need to keep your wardrobe in pristine shape while you’re jet setting around.

For shopping purposes, make sure you check out series posts one, Office-To-Go, and two, Clothing Care-To-Go, for great ideas and tips about where to get the items you’ll need. In addition to the usual suspects (Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc.), you’ll want to check fabric or craft stores that carry sewing accoutrements like JoAnn Fabrics, and be sure to use a coupon.

For the first option, I found one that was already compactly put together. This little sewing kit from Clover was at a closeout store in the craft section for three or four dollars, but you can also buy one at Amazon here for $9.

It’s 3-1/8” tall, 1-3/4” wide, and almost ¾” thick. Its lid hinges open to a removable insert. The case is a sturdy but lightweight plastic, and the insert fits nicely. On side one it has: one pair of scissors and one pair of tweezers,

and on side two: one needle threader, one small safety pin, one medium safety pin, and three needles.

Each side of the bottom has a small white button, and the very bottom has a four color thread selection, black, white, navy, and taupe-y gray, wound around an attached, twisting spool.

This would be ideal for a solo traveler, or a weekend getaway. It’s well made, refillable, and appears to be sturdy enough to last more than a few years.

The second option is one I’ve put together myself. I’ll walk you through it, link where available, and toward the end of the post, I’ll show you a d-i-y project for an item I didn’t even bother to look for in a store, as I already had all of the things to make what I wanted.

I found the box at The Container Store for $2 in the travel container section, but they don’t appear to carry it any longer. You can find something similar here, $10.

When closed, this box measures 4” long, 2-1/2” wide, and 1-1/4” thick. It’s made of nice, heavy duty plastic and opens to 8-1/4” long, 2-1/2” wide, and 5/8” wide. On one side, it has one large undivided compartment,

and on the other side it has two medium and three small compartments.

Not only does the entire box open with a hinged lid, all of the individual compartments open with hinged lids, as well.

Let’s go through this section by section.

Letters correspond above and numbers correspond below.

Compartment:

A:  (1) small and medium safety pins

B:  (5) assorted buttons

C:  (6) & (7) snaps and hook and eye sets

D:  (3) needle threaders

E:  (1) & (2) large safety pins and straight pins

F:  (4) package of assorted needles

(8) black thread and white thread spools

(8) thread samplers

(9) folding scissors

(10) measuring tape

(11) thimble

(12) finger pin cushion

Needles (4), safety pins (1), straight pins (2), needle threaders (3), snaps (6), and hook and eye sets (7) can all be found in the sewing notions and/or craft section of Walmart, or in the sewing notions section of JoAnn. I found all of the buttons (5) in my extras box where I put the ones that come with clothing. You could probably pick up a package of assorted sized and colored buttons at garage sales or discount stores, if you don’t have any on hand.

I found the thimble (11) at JoAnn Fabrics. They’re regularly $5, but JoAnn offers coupons frequently, so you could always use one of those. You can also order from JoAnn online here. This thimble is ideal because the back of it is soft, rubbery plastic and can be squished down a bit so it fits into the box.

All of the thread (8) came from other sewing kits, both purchased and picked up from hotels during stays. I just pulled together what I felt like I would need for this particular project. You could always take something small, round and plastic, or a small piece of cardboard and make your own.

I also took the folding scissors (9) out of a larger sewing kit I bought at Walmart many years ago. They’re decent quality and fit in this kit so well. The measuring tape (10) came out of a sewing kit from the dollar store.

Which brings me to the pin cushion. I knew I wanted something small that could also conveniently be out of the way while using it. I have one that secures around my wrist, but it would be far too large to fit in even the biggest compartment. So I decided to make my own.

Here are the super simple instructions for a semi-DIY pin cushion:

TINY FINGER PIN CUSHION

What you’ll need:

tomato pin cushion with a smaller piece attached (check dollar stores or you can order one tomato pin cushion, $3)

thin piece of elastic approximately 8” long

thread (I used red since the cushion was red.)

needle

scissors

Directions:

1. Snip the smaller cushion off of the larger cushion leaving about ¾” of the green thread on the smaller one.
2. Take the elastic and measure it by looping around two side by side fingers of your choice on your non-dominant hand.
3. Tie the elastic into a bow leaving the loops as measured.
4. Using a threaded needle, sew elastic bow to the top of the small pin cushion with the loops angled up.
5. Knot off thread and snip end.

I can put my middle and finger through the loops and it works perfectly.

You can also find all sorts of absolutely darling, tiny pincushions at etsy using the search term ‘tiny pincushions’. If you’re so inclined, there are literally (yes, literally!) hundreds of instructional projects on Pinterest to make your own. They look super easy, and you could probably use materials you already have at home, in many instances.

This wraps up all the information about my perfect travel sewing kit. As always, take these suggestions and ideas and let them guide you into what works for your life and travel styles. Whatever your choice of sewing kits, along with the Clothing Care To-Go kit, you’ll be all set for any issues you may experience with your wardrobe while you’re away from home.

As sewing kits are certainly nothing new to people on the go, do you already have a perfect sewing kit in your travel things? Tell me about it and any additions you might make to this in the comments.