Crafting on airplanes

Just like Steph mentioned earlier, I’ve been in NYC for a work-related award ceremony. I’m safe and sound back in the Mitten today, and I’ve got some ideas I’m happy to share with everyone about… crafting on airplanes. It can be done!

In our terrorism-freaked society, it’s almost impossible to bring ANYTHING onto an airplane these days, let alone our basic craft supplies like needles, scissors, pins, etc. However, if you take a look at the FAA’s web site, they have a pretty clear, and somewhat craft-friendly, set of guidelines of what you can and can’t take in your carry-on. (Sorry, kids. You won’t, however, be able to bring your swords or throwing stars with you!) I did a little research, since I was hoping to use my Detroit-to-NYC flight to finish a cross-stitch sampler I’m trying to give my mom for Mother’s Day. I was concerned about my embroidery needle and scissors. Now, I hardly doubt I’d become a MacGuyver with these items, but I wasn’t about to have my good supplies tossed at the security checkpoint inside McNamara…

Singer’s line of non-machine accessories came to the rescue. They make a great pair of embroidery scissors that fold up and are FAA-ready. Since scissors must have blades shorter than 4 inches, these bad boys are just fine. Take a look below. I found these at Meijer (specifically my local Westland store) in the sewing section. This week they’re on sale for $2.35, which was fine by me. My only piece of advice is practice folding them a few times BEFORE you get on the plane, as they’re a little stiff from being in the package. You don’t want to look like you’re whipping out a small Swiss Army knife!

For the needle, I had it threaded and pinned to my project, in case there were any questions. I put everything into a Ziploc bag. No problems! Now the award I won for work while I was in NYC and decided to put in my carry-on… Yep, that got me a friendly trip to security!
If you’re looking to work on a knitting or crochet project, don’t worry. You may bring your needles on the plane. Take a look at this About article for some frequently asked questions and tips from a traveling knitter pro.

Unfortunately, if you feel the need to work on some glue-related gift, that might be trickier. All liquids carried onto planes must be in 3-ounce bottles or smaller. I might leave the rubber cement at home on your next in-flight trip…

So there you have it. You may craft on a plane. But, be careful. If you’re like me, you’ll have your headphones listening to “The Office” on your iPod and start to laugh so hard as you’re pulling your thread through that you’ll smack the irritated guy sitting next to you. True story.

Link Love

TSA Permitted Sharp Objects