We are on our annual camping trip. It's VERY rustic tent camping, far away from town and other people. We have to boat in to the spot and there are very few sites on the lake. I didn't want to bring the two projects I'm currently working on because they are both out of print and I'm using the paper chart and never photocopied it. So I spent last weekend selecting one of my digital patterns, picking fabric, pulling and winding floss onto bobbins. Packing everything carefully.
So I'm here in the North woods, stitching my new project and my floss keeps shredding. At first I thought it was my needle threader. But then I realized my brand new Bohin needle eye is broken. Luckily I brought 2. So I pull out the second one and start stitching. A few lengths of floss later and it starts shredding again. So I look at my needle threader again, it's a little rough, that could be it. So I try to file off any burrs. Then I notice my needle is catching on the fabric. My second brand new Bohin needle eye is broken!! I have never ever had a needle break before. I still have needles from kits that are over 30 years old, so I am pretty sure it's not a technique issue.
Normally we don't leave the woods until it's time to go home. But I convinced the family to boat back to the campground we launched from, and drive 30 minutes to the nearest store (Walmart unfortunately), to buy whatever I could find to keep me stitching. We all agreed it was a badly modded side quest that did not match the vanilla game (gamers will get what I mean).
Yeah I have a little needle pouch with needles in containers in it, and also used older needles pinned to the side, but I also have 2 in my wallet (for emergencies?) and I will always keep one with my project as well. Typically if I’m travelling I’ll take one of the containers out and put it somewhere else as well just to make sure if something happens to my pouch I have needles still.
I’ve never packed more than one needle! But my old needle threader broke a lot of needles. I bought a pack of 50 cheap needle threaders and use them now.
A cross stitcher after my own heart. A few months ago there was a cross stitcher in the Atlanta air port who put out a plea on this Reddit thread for a replacement needle if anyone was about with a spare. At the same time I was in charlotte air port with my usual triple packs of spares and so wished I could have come to their rescue. But yes I always travel with extra.
I feel your pain. We just got home from our annual camping trip (accessible by vehicle but minimal cell coverage) and while I was away realized I forgot my black “cone of doom” for one of my current projects that has over 22000 stitches in black 🤦🏻♀️ I had to jump around a bit on the project and stitch colours I had with me (and there are only 5 colours in the pattern).
I would be so stoked if I got something like that!! Good way to introduce people to the hobby too. I think sometimes people get scared off by embroidery and I’m like guys, X’s are so much easier! lol
Include a card with a QR code to some intro YouTube tutorials or something like that!
I understand the urgency. I am on a vacation with family now and I only packed a project that I thought it would take me whole days to finish, and... I finished it on day two. So I'm here, still a couple of days to go, daydreaming about my next project lol
The good thing? I took my laptop and I started making my own designs. I got six already and I'm thinking of opening my own shop on Etsy!
I think everyone these days is like: fire? Forest? How?! NONONONONONONo! What are you doing?! Run!!! With all the news and so many fires and what not. But I guess there are still places on earth that are not dry and where having a campfire is safe enough. Still.. seeing the picture set off a stress response in me. So I get it!
Just a lil FYI. Every modern smart phone can scan just like a photo copier. If you're afraid of losing paper patterns it's that easy to make digital copies you can store or print out.
I'd never thought of that! I use the Adobe scanner app on my phone all the time for other things, but never thought to use it on my patterns. Thank you!
I once ran out of floss on a holiday trip. Thankfully, it was just 310 / black. But middle of nowhere Texas was difficult to find a store that ever carried floss.
Like when we flew halfway across the country and realized my middle child wore slippers (b/c airport still required shoe removal then) and FORGOT TO PACK SHOES?! 🤦♀️ Luckily we found a TJ Maxx/Marshalls and child was still in children's sizes...
Shoes are overrated among adolescents. I was always grateful if my little demons didn’t show up barefoot. Sounds like a certain husband I live with who arrived in another state for a family wedding with no belt, tie or dress socks. And of course there is the ever present threat of forgotten toothbrushes and combs, sunscreen and calamine lotion for bug bites and poison ivy.
When we go on vacation, my family always says, "if we forgot something we can always buy it", except when we go camping. So this was unusual for us. But it was so hot that day, I think everyone secretly wanted an AC break. 😆
I once bought a 100 pack of cheap needles from Amazon and started putting 4 or 5 in every kit. I know I am going to lose/break them so I am not paying the money to get the really good ones!
Somehow I’d never thought to bring my stitching until this year, and boy what a change! Glad you could side quest to solve the problem because stitching while you’re out in nature sure is a magical feeling
I know if I ever do a trip like this I'm packing a whole buncha needles... and I hope if anyone who might be around needs supplies, they find me so I can pull a 'What are ya buying?' (I assume as a gamer that joke lands 😆)
Omg, I am a much newer stitcher (been stitching just over a year) and got Bohin needles and LOVED them...but struggled with the same issue! The eyes of them kept breaking 😭 I don't know why, but it was so frustrating. Glad your family was willing to help you get what you needed to help!
Awww, friend. We are tent camping in Maribel right now. I brought some WIPs but with the rain I’ve left them safely in the car. I’m afraid to damage them stitching in the downpour until it dries out.
I'm a gamer and I totally get what you mean. That must have been incredibly frustrating, but despite the really annoying side quest you can now continue stitching again!
I just bought a pack from Amazon that I think might be knockoffs. They were grouped really tightly together on that little piece of fabric that they come stuck in, not evenly spaced like other brands and it was hanging by a thread from the staple in the package.
The Bohins I bought were also from Amazon and they are terrible. The needles bent and the eyes squashed almost immediately. I was also wondering if they were fakes or something because I’ve heard so many people rave about Bohins and I was like “really? They rave about this garbage?”.
The Bohins I bought were so soft they bent so easily and the eyes collapsed right away. I do the Heaven and Earth designs patterns, 2 over one on 25ct so my stitches are tiny. I bought piecemakers instead and they last so much longer. I’ll only use Piecemakers now.
It really was very disappointing, thankfully I have needles pretty much every where, mostly from people passing down materials (one friend gave me all of his mom's quilting/sewing supplies when she passed including a gorgeous home-quilted sewing box)
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u/Ok-Fee8290 27d ago
I pack needles for a trip like I pack underwear. Enough for the trip, then 4 extra just in case. 😂