I have one of those paper boxes (the heavy duty ones that reams of paper are shipped in). In it I can fit my thread box, bobbins, scissors/cutting tools, rulers, marking tools, spare needles, my iron, and typically enough of a project or two to keep me busy. It takes a bit of planning (I used to take all my fabric bins, etc and it would often feel like it took more time to pack and unpack than was spent working) but its totally worth it. So while travelling somewhere else to quilt, I have my sewing machine, one box of supplies, and a mini ironing board.