Traveling with embroidery frames isn’t always easy — especially when flying. At Hampton Court last year, I watched a fellow student arrive with a car full of appliqué tools and thought: how on earth would I manage this journey from the Netherlands by plane? This year, with only two days for my RSN appliqué class, I put my packing skills to the test.

That sight immediately made me wonder how I would manage. Living in the Netherlands means my choices are train or plane. In the past, I’ve taken the train when staying longer (two weeks or more). But this time, I was only going for two days, so flying with KLM seemed more practical — even if luggage restrictions made me slightly anxious.

The Travel Challenge: My Embroidery Frame

The main item I had to bring was my embroidery frame. My appliqué piece is quite large, so I’m using the biggest frame available. Unfortunately, KLM’s size limit for hold luggage is strict: height + width + depth = 158 cm. My current frame measures 184 cm (h + w + d), which makes it officially too big to fly.
My workaround? Roll part of the fabric (as I used to do on previous trips) but leave one section flat. To protect the stitched areas, I supported it with a board. That way, the frame kept its full width but only half the height. I even sewed a custom travel bag for it.
Because I was flying straight from work in Amsterdam on a Thursday evening, I also needed my laptop, plus the usual clothes and toiletries. With all the extra fabrics and miscellaneous tools, I paid for additional luggage.
I’ll admit, I was nervous. I had visions of my frame being rejected at the gate or worse — being sent into the main hold and crushed under suitcases. But to my relief, there were no issues at all! Apart from the standard security scans, no one asked me a single question.

At Hampton Court

The atmosphere at Hampton Court is always magical. This centuries-old palace, with its woodfire smells, worn brick paths, and beautiful grounds, makes me feel like I’m stepping into another world. Two days of stitching in such surroundings, with like-minded people bent over their projects, is the perfect creative break from everyday life.

Stitching Progress Since Last Class

Before traveling, I had managed to finish most of my “homework” from the previous class.

• Grass: Stitched in with short threads at the back for distance and longer strands at the front for depth. I love the effect and might trim it a little more to sharpen the perspective.
• Mushrooms: Their edgings are complete, though the gills were still puzzling me at this stage.
• Cat’s Teacup Sample: Such a tiny detail, yet incredibly layered. I particularly love the silk metallic organza that mimics spilled tea — it catches the light beautifully.

I do still want to refine a few things:

• The organza frays at the edges; perhaps a turned edge would solve this.
• The thumb and bottom of the hand were worked as a separate slip, but the awkward shape made the edges less neat. I might stitch the whole hand directly instead.

Next Steps: The Cat’s Body

I haven’t yet finished sampling the cat’s body. With all the padding, the original design won’t fit anymore, so I’ll need extra fabric to accommodate the raised areas. My plan is to create a small tissue-paper template (the traditional method), though I may test it on cotton scrap first.

During Class: Feedback & Brainstorming

I arrived with a long list of questions for my teachers, and their feedback was both practical and encouraging.

• They confirmed that the grass worked well.
• My buttonhole stitch was neat enough to stay in (the extra texture is now officially “intentional” 😉).
• We reviewed all my chosen fabrics. This was so helpful — online classes can’t replace the tactile check of whether a fabric handles well. Most passed, though a slinky purple silk was vetoed: the tiny dots I planned for were simply too small for any fabric to work.
• On the teacup, suggestions were minor tweaks rather than major changes.

Most of our discussion focused on the mushrooms, especially how to create the gilled effect. One teacher suggested padding the entire mushroom as a single raised shape, with varying heights, instead of trying to separate cap and gills. That completely unblocked me — I had been struggling to “marry up” the two parts without leaving a gap.
I sampled this in class with carpet felt. It was messy (fluffy bits everywhere!) but wonderfully malleable compared to the thicker felt I had tried at home. I liked it so much I brought back two large pieces to continue practicing.
For the gills themselves, the teacher also suggested overlaying organza or net to mimic the way light and shadow shift in the folds. Even with a scrap net from the RSN box, the effect was already promising. It will take practice to place the folds correctly, but it feels like the right approach.

What’s Next

Since my work so far was deemed solid, I can now dive into padding. That means plenty of mushrooms to build up as homework, and once those are in place, I can begin covering the ones in the background.
And — very exciting — I might even start on some of the cat’s body elements!