Tips for Traveling with Cross Stitch – Cross-Stitch

As a person who is mostly in the knitting world, it comes up fairly often that people will have questions about traveling with knitting and whether knitting needles and other supplies are allowed on airplanes. (The answer is generally yes, but it’s somewhat up to the discretion of the flight agents whether items are truly allowed.)

I haven’t heard a lot of people question whether cross stitch supplies are allowed on planes, though sewing needles are generally sharper than knitting needles. As far as I know there’s nowhere you can travel by plane that wouldn’t allow you to carry sewing needles. Scissors may be a different story. 

The rules in America are that scissors shorter than 4 inches/10 cm from the pivot point (where the two blades join) are allowed in carry on luggage, and scissors of any length are allowed in checked bags. In the UK the measure is 6 cm, or about 2.5 inches. 

One rule that trips some people up in the States is the fact that while scissors are allowed, cutting tools that include blades are not allowed in carry on luggage. Those thread cutters that look like pendants? Technically not allowed. I guess the idea is they could be taken apart and then you’ve got a blade. So your best bet is to stick with small scissors or even fingernail clippers on the plane. 

Caterpillar Cross Stitch goes into greater detail about how to travel with cross stitch supplies, alternatives to scissors, tips for packing and what to do if an agent confiscates your supplies. They’ve also got tips for the things you might want to include in your travel cross stitch kit and etiquette tips to ensure your stitching doesn’t annoy other passengers. 

Have you ever traveled by plane with your cross stitch or embroidery? I’d love to know if you have any tips to add to this collection! Check out the post at Caterpillar Cross Stitch for all the details. 

[Photo: Caterpillar Cross Stitch]