FoxyLady

I agree with those who say have the basics at both places, scissors, rotary cutters/mats, etc. I am a snowbird, and I have found that ordering online at JoAnne's, Marshall Dry Goods and Fabric.com all work well. For batting, I have ordered the soft and natural through Amazon Prime -- no postage required. Actually, Amazon Prime is great for snowbirds-- you can get almost anything you want and it will arrive in no more than 2 days. BTW--I have lots of bins of fabric at both homes. Someday I will use it all up (I hope).

Sandi

These are great cases and I use them to organize my projects and tools for those projects. I think a lot depends on what you are working on and developing tools at both ends as someone said is a great idea;no hauling back and forth. There are many great quilt shops in New England ( I live in Mass and just moved to another section of Mass) to obtain supplies. Also you can use Amazon- in both places. There is lots to do so don't burden yourself with supplies

liking quilting

ha ha ha...your forgetting clothes was worse than mine (sorry, I know I really shouldn't enjoy that.. but you did make me laugh! Our quilting supply packing is obviously more of a priority!

Rose_P

We're not snowbirds, but have gone through transitions where we shuttled between two houses while in a prolonged moving process. I think nobody mentioned an iron and surface for ironing and those are cumbersome but necessary things. I think I would try to have those and one machine at each location if at all possible. In picking which machine you might want at each place, it would be helpful if they both use the same type of bobbin. For cutting I have found that a sturdy folding table that you can place on bed risers to get a comfortable height is very useful.

Go through your supplies and ask yourself which items you use most frequently. You might even discover duplicates. A frame of mind that leans toward simplifying is helpful. If you almost always use just a few neutral thread colors, such as a particular shade of white, gray and beige, you are more likely to keep an adequate supply on hand without having to consider multiple possibilities for packing, and you won't bring a half done quilt and then realize you don't remember what brand or color that thread was that you forgot to bring back with you.

Happy trails!

cathyvv

I go back and forth between NJ and SC, I keep a basic set of quilting tools at both locations, and an inexpensive no frills (or not many frills) in NJ, where we visit family on a regular basis. We still have our NJ house, since my DH can't bring himself to sell it - a subject for another time.

Fabric: Several ways to handle that. a) make two quilt kits (more if you want) and take them with you in your car.
b) Either order fabric or a kit on line and have it shipped to your New England address so you have something to work on. Timing is important for this option, as you don't want a package laying out on your porch for one or two weeks. If you have a friend or relative close to where you will be staying, ask your friend if you can have it shipped to them. c) go to a local quilt shop and buy fabric after you get there. I mostly visit the Walmart when I am in NJ and get a few fabrics to use to make a charity quilt, but have used all of the options i listed.

Once I took a work horse Brother sewing machine along, but it was packed precariously and fell out of the car. There was no saving it, so I stripped it for parts that can be used in other machines. It was the one I started quilting on, so was sad to see it go in the trash. Now I keep a Brother mechanical machine in NJ and just use that when we are there.

cathyvv

Empty cereal boxes make nice project boxes, and they are free. I tie them closed with selvages, and tape a note on the box to tell me what's in it. The fabric in the cereal boxes is for a quilt I will work on soon, so I don't worry about the box not being acid free. The big boxes will hold a lot of fabric!

bearisgray

For many, space available is a major consideration.

I like to iron/press as I go - but most full-size ironing boards/tables are not very attractive and take up a lot space. There are small, table-top ironing boards available that do not take up much space. There are smaller irons available, too.

Some significant others are not sympathetic to having sewing stuff around for extended periods of time - the person has to set up and take down after every session.

I consider myself fortunate that I can have my stuff out and available all the time.

M cubed

I get my project boxes at Costco - they come in a stack of five, multicolored for $20.00. They are 12 x 12 inches and are great to store and carry individual projects. At JAF they are $19.99 each (the only difference is that the JAF boxes have handles).

lots2do

Thank you all for your tips and ideas. I think I'll get a duplicate Creative Grids ruler to bring up there. I'll also bring my double sided thread box. I've filled a garbage bag with fabric more suitable for Maine so hopefully that will fit into the car.
We brought a chair and ottoman down this fall in the moving truck and don't have room for it here so that will take up a lot of room. The spouse is usually very accomodating and appreciates how important quilting is for me but I don't want to stuff the vehicle either to the point of being uncomfortable or unpractical.
I love the idea of a master list. I've started a list of what I want to bring back in the fall on my I pad.
Best wishes to you all!

donna13350

I think my mind must work differently!!! I would just have north quilts and south quilts...and leave it at that...if you're up north work on those projects...down south..work on those! The last thing I would try to do is lug fabrics back and forth...always something forgotten, always too much extra...I would just go with the flow and have 2 quilting camps!!!!!!