My dear friend's birthday is Monday - she and I took our first quilting class together this summer and get together most Sunday evenings to sew - many of the world's problems are solved during our Sunday night sessions!

For her birthday present I bought a purple tackle box and plan to put things in it that are related to piecing/quilting....
so far I have:
painter's tape (for holding down fabric as we sandwich)
binder clips (for holding a quilt together as we sew on a binding)
needle threaders
T-pins
Basting safety pins
an angled paint brush for cleaning lint out of the machine

Any other ideas? I'd be especially interested in things that you wouldn't think were quilting notions. I've read the thread about household things that can be used for sewing, but was hoping for ideas for small items that will fit in the tackle box.

I use clothespin and use a sharpie to write a # on top of them, to use when you are holding rows together to get ready to sew

1 - 20 or so, and can store them on a piece of cardboard covered with fabric

tape measure?

Lint roller for picking up the unsewing remainders.

was searching and found lots of ideas here for you

http://thunderbayquilters.org/?page_id=97

All great ideas and thanks for the link!
right now my dining room chairs are draped with rows I've sewn for a grandboy's quilt - one set on each chair. The clothespin idea would free up some of those!

more tips on this thread that I had created for us awhile back

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-35650-7.htm#1729594

I am going to buy a roll up blind to make my design wall with flannel, that way my blocks will stick to it

lots of ideas here for design walls all sizes

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-49751-1.htm

yes, get you one of those drying clothes racks and you can hang your projects on them

also the big plastic zip gallon storage bags are great to store projects, and the clear plastic shoe boxes, all sizes