This week I wanted to share some of my project bags and how I travel with my cross-stitch projects, even if I’m only travelling to work and back.

I have seen so many fancy bags and travel cases online, including some incredible hand-sewn and hand-quilted bags. But, the bags I use for my cross-stitch projects are plain and utilitarian.

I own about 5-6 bags like this. These are the three smallest, and I have at least two bigger ones. Although they are different brands, the bags are very similar in construction–a simple polypropylene pouch with cotton mesh embedded to give it some structure and strength and a zipper along the top.

Sometimes you can find them at hobby shops. The middle one above I purchased at a local needlework store. I don’t care about the three-ring holes because I never keep it in a binder, but the size (and the price) was right. I also like the bags from Blick Art Materials, which are super cheap.

And what do I keep in the project bag? The bag must be able to hold everything I need to work on the project. This includes:

• the pattern
• fabric
• all threads needed for the pattern
• needle(s)
• hoop
• pair of scissors

This is the bare minimum I need. Here is how it looks with my current project:

Not all of the threads are shown in the photo, but they do all fit in the bag. (I will cover how I organize my threads in a future post.)

I try to keep things as simple and portable as possible. The bag above measures 9″ x 11″ so it is small enough to throw into my work bag or carry just about anywhere. So, if I have a few free minutes on my lunch break, I am ready to spend that time stitching.

And if I don’t have a project bag handy, I can go even simpler — I just throw all my supplies into a gallon-sized Ziploc-type bag.

I love to drool over fancy craft organizers and project bags (love all the little compartments on this one!), but this simple system works for me.