How about a sewing tote for travel. Have velcro straps for scissors, some strips of fabric for pins and needles, a pocket to hold papers such as directions or patterns or magazine, and enough room to hold small projects for hand piecing, maybe some elastic to hold a marking pencil, clear pockets for thimbles, band-aids, needle threader.
Another idea might be to piece some fabric together as for a quilt top then use to cover a photo album or scrap book for them to put pictures of their quilts in or to put their patterns or ideas of future quilts into.