How to Make a Travel Sewing Kit

We've all been there. On vacation. Out for a fancy dinner. A night with friends. A wedding. And a snap breaks, a seam tears, a hemline comes loose. And you think "man, if only I had a needle and thread, I could fix this so easily!" 

If you're wise, you carry a small sewing kit with you. If you're me, you look at those kits and go "oh, they're so cute! But why would I spend money on them when I already own everything in it?" And then of course I promptly forget about assembling such a kit at home.

This all changed when my grandmother gave me this cute little purse. Or lipstick case. Or whatever you do with a three inch long pouch. My sister and I both got them and the first thing we said was "HOW CUTE!" in unison. And then mine sat unused for awhile because I couldn't figure out what to do with it.

Then last week I realized it would be perfect for a travel sewing/repair kit.

See?

Needles and pins secured into some folded up fabric. I could have assembled something more finished, but hey, it worked and it was quick. I had two tiny spools from an old repair kit (by old I mean 15 years ago), but I needed at least white and red added to that collection, so I cut notches in a straw and handwrapped them. They fit in the center holes of the black and brown thread spools, so it's a great space saver.

Then of course safety pins because sometimes you don't have time to even sew!

Lastly I needed a miniature scissors. I had a Swiss army knife that I never carried, and it has other useful things in addition to a scissors, plus it was the right size. So I added that.

And there you have it! A simple yet cute kit assembled of things any good seamstress already owns. And if you don't have your own sewing stuff, these are the sort of things that you could raid from your mother or grandmother's sewing box, because I pretty much guarantee they have surplus.