Last week I received an emergency phone call from my sister. My dad had to have an open-heart, triple-bypass surgery. At the age of eighty, and not in good health to begin with, he did not do well with the procedure. For six days, the family sat in the hospital room while Daddy breathed on a respirator. During those nerve-racking hours, I kept wishing for a sewing project -- anything to keep my hands busy and my eyes occupied. What was I thinking rushing out without grabbing my sewing basket?

Two days later, and things are going much better. Daddy is recovering slowly, and my sisters and our families have returned to our respective homes to get back to work. What I learned from this episode, however, is that I always need to have a sewing project stashed in the car. I'm putting it together now....some applique work from Lori Smith's "Fit to Frame" series, Pattern six." For good measure, I'm also throwing in one of the old quilts I've bought at a flea market and that I'm repairing. In times of stress, what better thing to do than stitch away that nervous energy?

What do you carry in your travel sewing kit? If you have any interesting or unusual ways to tote your sewing paraphernalia around, please let us know. As for me, next time I have to rush away, I'll be ready.