Creating on the go
I mentioned the other day that I was doing a lot of my hexagon basting while sitting on the subway. With the creative use of some plastic containers, I can cart along everything I need to complete nearly 20 hexes a day, and my commute is only 13 minutes each way. I’ll be honest with you. In the past few weeks I have stitched hexagons while standing in line to have my blood drawn, while waiting for a friend at a restaurant, and while sitting in my car outside a movie theater.
Since I received some questions about taking this little show on the road, I wanted to show you my setup.
The largest container is a 4-cup Rubbermaid with a red lid. It holds everything together, including pre-cut cloth hexagons. Then, a small pair of scissors, a spool of thread, and a scrap of fabric for keeping needles are obvious additions. The yellow container is from a set whose lids snap onto the bottom when open. That’s handy so that I don’t have lids flying everywhere. I use the yellow container to hold completed/basted hexagons when they’re done.
The little red container is my favorite. It’s one of many tiny containers I collected when I was really into creative lunch packing (bento style). It’s super tiny and snaps shut, which makes it perfect for holding my pre-cut hexagon papers. (They are about the size of a USD penny.)
Of course, I’m not the only one who crafts or sews on the go. English Paper Pieced hexagon quilts are particularly portable, as you can see from the photo above. But, many others are taking their art with them, too! Recently, MrXstitch has been posting about his experience doing cross stitch on the subway.
Because I am so interested in people’s creative process, I love to see workspaces and projects in progress. We all know that knitting and crocheting are portable — all you need is a ball of yarn and a couple of metal hooks or needles — but, what else are people carting around?
These are not just photos of manufactured kits or carriers. Lord knows plenty of companies are out there selling systems and caddies and all sorts of other accoutrements to sort and transport your project. Truly, we love our pouches and zippers and we’ll pay good money for them on a whim. But I only included photos in this mosaic that had evidence of actual crafting, and whose portable carriers and containers included space to carry an actual project along.
What about you? Do you take your projects with you on the road? How?
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What I love about this post is it shows how artistry can pop up even in how we carry our tools around!! and, this is important for all those times that we moan, “‘I don’t have TIME” — also inspiring about the use of travel and waiting time… I can’t imagine how you sew on a line, however, turningturning!
I use a vintage lunch box that I found in a thrift store, with mini pin cushion, teeny scissors like yours… I have a stiff-sided tote (made from recycled lawn chairs — not by me, by the way) that will hold the lunch box, plus whatever fabric I need… some things get carried in large zip-lock bags… some day I’ll take some pix! I can fit this at my feet in the car for long trips and sew as long as there is daylight.
For fabric movement WITHIN the house, I use a lot of wooden clementine crates, which can be stacked perpendicurlarly to each other, or brought upstairs for some hand sewing… I also love the lids of boxes for buttons, threads, and whatever else…. again, partly because they stack.
Comment by Dee — 30 March 2009 @ 12:05 pm
@Dee: Amen and amen! I agree with you that using a bit of a stiffer bag really helps. It’s sort of like a third hand, sometimes. I love to see your work!
Comment by Mal — 30 March 2009 @ 6:01 pm
I used to bring other kinds of needlework on the go with me but because of the abundance of sharp instruments in embroidery used to leave it behind but now I love to bring it everywhere with me especially when I have to sit and wait. I am so impatient but embroidery makes the drudgery of waiting disappear.
Comment by debraann — 30 March 2009 @ 6:56 pm
@debraann: I’m with you. It’s really easy for me to get “lost” in embroidery and that helps time pass really quickly. Plus, I feel like it is productive time, as you can see quick visible results.
Comment by Mal — 31 March 2009 @ 6:39 am
I like your hex as you go style!!!
I’ve crocheted on the train before now but never sewn in transit, I think I would probably drop my needles all over the place and get super frustrated with myself but I may have a go now I’ve seen how you have been going about it. I’ve been hexagonning too must be something in the air!!
Comment by aneela — 1 April 2009 @ 7:16 am
@aneela: This hexagon fever certainly seems to be contagious! I wonder if there’s a cure?
Comment by Mal — 1 April 2009 @ 7:18 am
Thank you for your ideas. One day I’d like to try a hexagon quilt. I like them really a lot.
I also work in transit, mainly in car or on train or on bus. I have just knitted a blanket for my baby and it was from 90% done on train or on bus.
Comment by Eva — 5 May 2009 @ 6:33 am