We are planning our Denver trip - I bought our plane tickets ($202RT out of Dulles, each) have reserved a room and a car. We are going out a few days early. Now my question - has anyone flown with their lace pillow? If so, what is the largest size pillow you were able to carry on?
Welcome Christina! Hope to meet you in Denver.
If you are flying on only one airline, then the best thing would be to contact them for their particular rules and requirements. Their web page should give you most of this. Some airlines are more lenient than others.
General rules these days preclude 'carrying on' a working pillow. The restriction of no sharp objects in carry-ons means no pins, no scissors, no sharp metal crochet hooks, etc. Just the pillow itself would pass, but possibly not the project pinned to it, and only if the pillow met the size limit. Round pillows tend not to fit well in the overhead compartments. Some planes have a special compartment to put odd shaped items in, but I've seen some people stopped at the point of boarding and made to check a weird item.
Your pillow will probably need to be packed in a suitcase. Standard large cases will hold an 18" pillow. The extra large case might hold a 20" pillow. These days there are some square suitcases around. If you have one of these, then measure to see what will fit. I urge you to take only the minimum size that is needed for your class.
I usually travel with a thin 18" pillow. It's big enough for most class projects, and takes the smallest space of my various pillows. For transport at the conference, I tie it into a 45" square carry cloth or take a fabric tote bag.
A friend of mine made a nine-square block pillow for traveling to class. Being square, it fits better in a suitcase. The supporting frame is made from cardboard boxes so it is lightweight.
Another thought -- I suggest taking your less expensive bobbins, if you have a choice. Just in case the suitcase is lost, you don't want your favorite, expensive bobbins lost. If you are new to lacemaking, you probably have only one set now, but in the future you will get more--maybe even at Denver in the Sales Room.
Coming home, the project is apt to still be in progress, with pins in it. There is the choice of pushing all the pins fully into the pillow, or covering them with something to protect both the pins and other stuff. One easy cover is either a small box or a plastic butter container pinned down over the pins. Even an extra cover cloth, folded and pinned over the working area, would provide protection.
Try to have extra room in your suitcase when you go, or you will have frustration packing all the extra stuff you will acquire when you come home. Or take a second case, folded up, in your big suitcase. (DH and I used to pack for trade shows with our things in one suitcase, then put that suitcase into the next size larger case. We then had only one to deal with going. Coming home, both cases were both used.)
I talked to one person at Tulsa IOLI who went out and bought a second suitcase to travel home because she gained so many things. (Beware the temptation of the Sales Room.) <G>
I guess the general idea is to Plan Ahead and Be Prepared. Check with your particular airline.
And Have A Good Time!!! I'm looking forward to it, myself. Alice in Oregon
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