My home is not the ideal place to spread out feathers, hooks and/or thread.  We have a playful cat and a dog that believes it's his personal responsibility to lick all my stuff.  This means that I need to clean up when I am done - even if I am just waiting for cement to dry.  Also, I wanted to be able to relocate my supplies easily from room to room.

I purchased a folding TV tray table for $9.99, two packs of 4ea alligator clips for $2.29 each, a kitchen cutting-board for $6.59 and a pack of nails for $1.29 (which I didn't end up using).  I grabbed a rat-tailed file from my toolbox, along with some drill bits.

I selected a drill bit that fit snugly into the tail-end of the alligator clip (as shown), then used the next size larger in my set.

The cutting board has a moat around the edges, so I used that as my guide - drilling 8 evenly spaced holes along one long end.  I used the file to lightly scuff the inside of the holes, which helps the alligator clip slide smoothly into the hole.  Took longer to find my tools than to do the work.

I used both of my tying vices to securely attach the cutting board to the TV tray.  The white surface makes it easy to see hooks and hackles laying about, while the cutting board itself gives some texture to my working area so light materials don't just slip off the table.