Have you ever taken a sewing machine on a plane? In April I was visiting my family on the East Coast and attending Meetup Togetherfest in New York. My mother no longer sews (more on this tomorrow) so my dad asked me if I’d like to take her last sewing machine, a Husqvarna Viking Scandinavia 200, which she got at Joann’s several years ago.
Here’s a nice photo of the Scandinavia 200 machine from the Husqvara Viking site. (Interesting fact: In 1872 the company changed from making firearms to making sewing machines. Really.)
I did a quick Google search and discovered that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says you can take a sewing machine on board on as carry-on luggage or check the bag. Yay! Here’s the TSA page on sewing machines. But if you bring a sewing machine on as carry-on luggage, they advise you to “check with the airline to ensure that the item will fit in the overhead bin or underneath the seat of the airplane.”
Once I found out that I could take a sewing machine on the plane, I said yes. My dad no longer had the box it came in and I didn’t have time to figure out how to pack it to survive baggage claim. So I decided to pay the $25 to check my suitcase and buy a bag that was big enough for the sewing machine. I got this sturdy bag for about $25 at Marshalls, a discount store. Here’s the bag at the airport. It was a bit heavy to lug around but it did the job.
Scandinavia 200 in the carry-on bag at the airport
When I went through airport security, the TSA guy told me that it was his third sewing machine this year. When he saw it, he said, “Oh, it’s a new one.” I guess the other machines he saw were vintage machines. After my machine went through the X-ray procedure, I was asked to take it out of the bag. I asked him if he needed the power cord to turn it on. He didn’t. But he did run a swab test on the sewing machine. That’s where you swipe the surface and put it in a machine to check for trace explosives. It passed the test and then I proceeded to the gate.
I wanted to take a photo of the swab test but I didn’t know how he’d respond. I didn’t want any unnecessary delays so I only took the photo of the machine in the carry-on bag.
If there are other items you want to check to see if you are allowed to bring on a flight either as a carry-on or checked bags, type your item in the search bar of the TSA page What Can I Bring? The list is pretty extensive. I discovered that you can bring on board antlers, bowling balls and Harry Potter wands as either carry-on or checked items. Really? Were there people asking whether their Harry Potter wands were prohibited on planes? In case you’re wondering, here’s what an authorized Harry Potte wand looks like.
Harry Potter wand (affiliate link)
Knitting needles are allowed. Check out Spruce Crafts blog post on knitting needles on a plane for more info.
I’ve carried on a machine before – fortunately I had a rolling bag for it. When I was researching whether my dog could fly, I found very interesting information about requirements for bringing your service monkey on a flight — requirements for diapers, how the TSA agents can “pat down” your monkey, etc. I think I would be freaked flying with a service monkey in the seat beside me (if it wasn’t my service monkey). 🙂
Did you stash it under the seat or lift it to the overhead bin?
That’s awesome! I’d just caution that knitting needles aren’t allowed on all foreign flights – I had to check mine coming back from Cabo.
That’s a good point. I’m only talking about US flights and the TSA. Other countries and airlines may have their own rules.
Happily that’s no longer the case, universally speaking. Many foreign carriers now permit knitting needles. Always check with both your airline AND the airports you’ll be flying through as the rules can be different for both. And as always the final word rests with the TSA agent at the security checkpoints. I’ve traveled extensively throughout Europe and China the past three years and have had no trouble whatsoever.
That’s great that you haven’t had any problems. It’s a good idea to check in advance with airlines and airports. 🙂