I am about to go to visit my daughter in the UK.
As I have one daughter here in La Rochelle, I have to be careful to "share the crafting love" both sides of the channel - doing so has thrown up some interesting challenges.
During my last visit in October 2012, I made 2 pairs of curtain and two cushion covers .
I had the added advantage of my sewing machine (one of them) having been brought over for repair locally so it was still at my daughters - I was flying, so sent on a parcel of fabric and haby items on ahead - it sounds crazy but it is so much cheaper to fly than drive, and a parcel is cheaper than booking on a bag!
This time I shall be
- customising a blazer and shortening the sleeves
- adjusting the length of one of the curtains
- helping to cover a headboard
- making a cushion from a vintage grain sack
My daughter has next to nothing in the way of craft items and my machine is now back in the UK.
So this is how the next craft salvo is to be achieved.
- Sorting out buttons to take in hand luggage from my own cache - I posted a pair of super cheap dressmaking scissiors, pins and needles (not allowed in hand luggage!) bought in NOZ, costing just short of a fiver including the postage - taking tape measure and cottons in luggage - get daughter to borrow a staple gun from work for the headboard - making cushion inner here and taking in luggage - ordered filling to be delivered to daughter's work - generally keeping fingers crossed I haven't forgotten anything!
It puts a whole new spin on the crafting of year gone by when you could take a basket of mending around to a family member - darning and the like.
The restrictions of hand luggage items have to get you to think around the "sharp" things, but as you can see, there is a way around it all!
Do you "craft" when visiting family in theUK?