Is There Such a Thing as Too Many Sewing Needles?

I hate not having the sewing needle that I need (and it usually involves breaking a needle in the middle of a project).  I've also developed a bad habit of stocking up on needles when JoAnn's has a sale on the notions wall (like I saw in the recent flyer).  My grammas would probably laugh - I don't remember either of them having terribly many needles on hand at any given time.  I also have something that they didn't have - access to groups that buy needles in bulk (that's how I have all of the Organ needles) and co-op them out. Thank You, Internet!

Because of this stash,  I needed to get a bit organized.  Yes, I misplace things.  Badly.  The below image is my current box.  It's a Plano fishing tackle box that I bought from www.tacklewarehouse.com.  The price with shipping was less than what my local Cabellas charges & it's a better selection than what I was able to get at Bi-Mart.  I think that this box is the Plano 3780 - It's deeper than most boxes.  I used to have a "normal" depth box with the movable dividers, but the 10-pack of Schmetz needles were just a hair too big & were pushing up on the lid.  Now I have *tons* of room to organize by type and size!

Speaking of Schmetz needles - don't toss those cases! Singer needles and Organ needles aren't in these nice cases. The Organ needles are packed in a little foil-lined paper packet in packs of ten. A little tape or piece of post-it note are enough to relabel a Schmetz case with the right needle information & makes it easy to see how many needles are left.

My favorite storage boxes

I love fishing boxes.  Not those big tackle boxes, but the Utility boxes that both Plano and Flambeau make.  Yes, these same companies make the bead boxes that you can find at JoAnn's and Michaels, but the fishing boxes tend to be cheaper and easier to customize.  I keep jeweler's tools, beads, silver (the rust inhibitor boxes keep the silver shiny), KAM snaps, and my machine needles in these boxes.  Not to mention paint brushes, drawing pencils, and charcoals.

I typically pick up my boxes from the local Bi-Mart store, but when I wanted a certain size and configuration (to fit into my fishing tackle box-turn art box) I found what I needed at http://www.tacklewarehouse.com.  The prices are good & they offer a 10% military discount.