Homemade Travel Sewing Kit | Family Economics

By Cathe

Even though little travel sewing kits are rarely expensive, I think it’s more fun to make and customize your own. In fact, make several while you’re at it to tuck into your purse, glove box, luggage and to share with others. Sewing kits can come in handy for wardrobe malfunctions, missing buttons or often times for things completely unrelated to clothing such as a quick repair to a seat cushion coming unstitched or a jewelry quick-fix.

The contents of your sewing kit should contain:
•    Buttons: trim a few from worn clothing before tossing or from other apparel in lieu of placing in the donation pile.
•    Needles
•    Thread: black, white, brown, navy, cream
•    Snips: nail clippers work great
•    Safety pins: assorted sizes is always nice

Additional optional items:
•    Needle threading tool
•    Straight pins
•    Thimble
•    Multi-colored thread
•    Tiny stapler and staples
•    Snaps

Containers that work well for holding sewing items:
•    Small change purse
•    Mint tin
•    Hinged eyeglass case
•    Cardboard or hinged jewelry gift box
•    Handmade containers or rigid folders made from chipboard or cardboard

To secure the needles, stitch or staple a square of felt or wool to a piece of chipboard just longer than the length of the needles. Slide several needles and pins into the fabric. Pin safety pins next to the needles or allow to float loose in the case. If room allows, hand-stitch buttons to fabric tying each individually from the back. Otherwise, make another felted card or allow buttons to also float loose. You may also opt to contain buttons and safety pins in tiny plastic Ziploc® Brand bags.

Directions to make a spool for the multiple threads:
1.    Cut another piece of chipboard the same size as before.
2.    Notch an equal number of small sections from opposite ends based on the number of colors of thread in your kit.
3.    Wind thread around notches, one at a time and side by side, multiple times allowing enough length for several sewing uses.

What additional items would you include in your sewing kit?