Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

El73 — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:46:59 GMT

I refused to stay home after a surgery and went to Destin FL with my family for vacation. I couldn't get in the water or do much so I took canvas, strong thread, and collected the sand at the beach. After washing, I laid it out on the garage floor of the house we were renting.. Once dry, I took it to the beach with me and sewed up 2 pads to absorb the noise and vibration of my jewelry hammers.

They laughed at me and we had a great vacation. Still using the pads after 15 years.

Enjoy all of your tips as I work in the closet studio of my basement.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

El73 — Sat, 05 May 2012 15:46:47 GMT

They laughed at me and we had a great vacation. Still using the pads after 15 years.

Enjoy all of your tips as I work in the closet studio of my basement.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

nathen — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 00:21:17 GMT

I am jusy starting in beading and have to travel every month - i love these tips . Thanks everyone i am going to use as many as possible. I can see my life getting easier already thanks again for the tips. holli ;)

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

nathen — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 00:21:04 GMT

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

Deb@377 — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:52:49 GMT

When I have to go some where and I am not sure if I can take scissors I take a pair of nail clippers. They clip very close to the project and does not leave loose ends.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

neuday71 — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:09:31 GMT

As a chain mailer I wanted to fly with my tools. Looking on the TSA website I found I could carry on tools (pliers) less than 6". The TSA personnel had to be shown the printout at a small airport. Of course, they also wanted to see what I was making. I made new friends that day and a beader who was flying was my seat partner. That was one of the shortest cross country flights I have ever been on.

Thank you for your articles.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

yhanlon — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:04:41 GMT

I use a dental floss container for cutting thread when traveling to eliminate carrying scissors. I have had too many scissors taken.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

vjhoneywood@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:46:16 GMT

Reading glasses! You asked for it... what not to forget when traveling with beads.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

Stella@30 — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:17:51 GMT

The very best travelling solution is an empty body butter container. I use the 200ml empty screw top plastic containers from Body Shop (an added bonus is the lingering smell of pink grapefruit, yum!). They are big enough to hold the tubes/bags of beads, needles, fold up scissors, thread and conditioner needed for one project and comfortably fit into my handbag.

I took two on holiday to Cyprus last month and each day chose which one to bring with me to the pool/beach/day trip. Being able to screw the lid back on whilst I nipped down to cool off in the sea (or a bit of bonus-beading when waiting for the bus, waiter, slow daughter to get ready) secure in the knowledge that I wouldn't end up on my hands and knees rescuing my project from the sand.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

tgraub — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:28:40 GMT

Everyone has great ideas. The most inexpensive containers came from the cigar shop, which one by me gives them away or at the dollar store; pencil boxes, tackle box, small tool box, even lidded plastic containers work.

I recently flew and the best cutter I find is either nail clippers or my flush cutters do in a pinch. The airlines do have a limit as to the size of your tools. Since I do not want them to have another pair of my scissors I opt with the nail clippers.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

sudsysuzy — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:01:40 GMT

I use an Altoids tin to create my general Supplies Kit. I pack it with several small spools of Nymo in different colors, a Thread Heaven pot, small scissors, a small plastic ruler/magnifier, a small hemostat, and my clip-on magnifying lenses. I put a 2" long piece of magnetic tape (with the sticky backing) in the lid and store several needles there. I have three of these Supply Kits ready to go.

So I grab my pattern and a bead mat, transfer my beads to a pill organizer, get my Supply Kit and I'm out the door. I can carry several patterns with beads but I only need one Supply Kit. I just need to learn to use a smaller bead mat so I can pack that in the tin.

BTW, it is also great fun to decorate the Altoids tin with beads, rhinestones, ribbon, and any other sorts of goodies.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

Bunnyholaday — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:32:25 GMT

Every summer we travel from Florida to Ohio to visit family. I have a plastic box with a handle on it and a removable shelf inside. I keep all my tools in this box along with a 300 yd. spool of Frieline, beading wire, needles, a soft tapemeasure, a pen, calapers and my magnifying head gear. I also keep all my contact information for the bead shops I will be visiting while I am away in the box. The lid has two little bins in it that I keep clasps and crimps in. I also have a big tin box that is about 15'x12'x1-1/2'. The lid fits tight (so I don't worry about losing beads) and I keep several layers of foam mats inside. With these two boxes I can bead anywhere I go and have everything I need. I take the tool box to classes with me as well as in the car when we travel. I liked the idea of a soft sided lunch box. I seen several that are really cute!!!

Before I leave Florida I gather together all the beads I will need for a project and put them in a plastic baggy. On the outside of the bag I write the pattern name with a permanent marker. All the small baggys go into a larger bag with handles to make it easier to carry and pack in the car.

I place the patterns for each porject in a protective clear plastic sleave and fasten it into a binder with bendable brad fasteners. I do this for each of the projects I plan to take with me. When I have all the patterns fastened into the binder I place an extra plastic sleave in the pocket of the binder. When I am ready to work on a project I take the pattern out of the plastic sleave fastened into the binder and place it into the extra sleave. It is easier than taking all the patterns out of the binder and replacing them all back in each time I want a pattern. When I am finished with the pattern I place it back in the original sleave fassened in the binder and place a new pattern in the extra sleave.

I take a lot of the projects that I have that are unfinished or that need repair with me when I travel. I try to do one of these between starting a new project to get caught up on things.

These techniques work for me I hope they help someone else

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

SandyL@25 — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:52:51 GMT

I just found the Bead Tube Tower from the BeadSmith. It's great to take to classes and if I go to the bead shop I take it along so I avoid buying duplicate seed beads - I can see at a glance if I already have it! It comes with a great clear carrying case!

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

bertandpetunia — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 11:48:09 GMT

One of my favoite things to use for on-the-go beading is a cookie tin (or whatever came in it!). I look for them at my local Goodwill. I glue a portion of a bead mat in the lid for a work surface and all my supplies store inside.

re: Tips for Traveling With Your Beads

mizzfreckle — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:55:32 GMT

I am currently working on putting all my beading patterns [PDF (with pictures) or TXT (without pictures) format] onto an e-reader so I can carry many with me anywhere. Just so you know, I do the same with my recipes and my crochet patterns. You can put a lot on an e-reader.