I am going to share with you my quilt travel kit I prepare when we go camping. This setup allows me to plan and organize my projects, and keep my equipment safe. It is also versatile enough that I can quilt both inside and outside our RV. Plus I can also use it if we are just going on a road trip and staying in hotels. I will have a photo gallery at the end that show my actual items.
Get a Good Sewing Machine Travel Bag
The one I currently have is over 10 years old but still works great. It holds my immediate needs like needles, thread, marking tools, sewing machines tools, and more. I use the front pocket for my patterns and books, and a side pocket for my idea notebook. I could easily fit more in here. If I were to replace it I would purchase the one below. (Which considering they have it in purple I just might do that!)
In our RV, this fits perfectly at the bottom of our bed, tucked away safe and sound. While at home I have a beautiful Baby Lock sewing machine, I do not bring it with me for these trips. I am usually piecing or working on small projects and use my Brother RSQ9285 instead. My first machine was a Brother and I find them to be a dependable and inexpensive option.
An Art Portfolio Case is a Must for Rulers and More
I use a 20″ x 26″ art portfolio case to hold my cutting mat, rotating cutting mat and pressing pad in the back pocket. Then I use the front pocket to hold all the rulers I want to bring with me. Try to plan out your projects ahead of your trip so you are only taking the items you need. However, I will tell you this bag holds a lot so there is plenty of room.
Just make sure once you have it stored you try to keep it from bending too much. An ideal location would be where it can lay flat. Mine stays on top of my sewing tote which we will get to in a second. Or you can place on top of your RV bed for travel days.
Quilt Travel Kit Tote
Use a tote to store the rest of your quilting needs. My tote holds my fabric, tools, iron and whatever else I need. If you are like us, there may be more than one tote in your RV so make sure to label it for ease of finding it. Also, use clear stackable bins to organize everything inside. I have multiple sizes of clear bins because we both use them for our hobbies. I have linked some of my favorites below for you.
Work Surfaces
I take a foldable, adjustable height four foot table with us along with a few trays. We use these for many things, but when I am quilting these become my work surfaces. You can use them anywhere, making your quilting space adaptable to your mood and environment. And the table folds in half for easy storage, so you can take multiple ones with you if you want.
Of course, the actual ones I purchased are not in stock but here are some choices that are comparable to what we have.
Gallery of My Quilt Travel Kit
Sewing Machine Travel Bag
Here you can see my sewing machine travel bag. It too is tucked into bed nice and cozy. Like I mentioned above I have been using this for over 10 years so these are worth the investment.
Art Portfolio for Rulers and Mats
Look at this art portfolio case and all it can hold! I bought this at the same time I purchased my bag. You can expect to get a lot of use out of this. There are larger sizes available but this works best for me.
Sewing Tote Contents
Here you can see what I can fit inside my tote. I currently have a whole bolt of white cotton I was able to include once I took the band off the one end and bent it a little. I am currently in love with 30’s fabric against a white background. You can see more of the quilt I am working on in my other post about what I use to lay out my quilt design while traveling. I have my portable quilt design wall in here with my quilt in process.
I also have a large clear bin full of fabric, then two smaller bins which hold my cutting tools in one, and my pens, pins, etc. in the other. They stack nicely and are easy to pull out but keep things together. I also have my small travel iron and a bottle of purified water in there, and my Brother RSQ9285 extension table. Occasionally I will take out the bolt of fabric or the bigger bin and bring my larger iron depending on the project I plan.
Work Surfaces
Let’s not forget our work surfaces. I didn’t include my pictures of where all I use this table and my trays, but they are so versatile I cannot imagine not having them. We use them for cooking, eating, crafts, blogging, bills, etc. The durability is great and can be used indoors and out, and I have left them in the rain and storms and they clean right up. The table is becoming harder to find on Amazon, but I still see them at our local Walmart. Hopefully you can find them. The four foot size is great for the RV but if you have a bigger space go for the six foot.
Bonus is they are adjustable in height. You can use them for the kids at the lower level, as a coffee table at the mid level, and then a normal table fully extended. We are looking to get a few more to keep in the RV or truck. I also use the trays as my ironing station or a mini desk at times.
So this is my quilt travel kit for when we are roaming about. I have found these items useful in being able to organize my supplies and tools while keeping them safe. If you are just traveling in your car you can easily put them in the trunk or hatchback with no problem and still have room for some clothes.
If you any questions or thoughts please share them in the comments below, or reach out via email or one of our social media sites. Thank you for taking the time to read this!
