DIY Magnetic Needle Box

Here lately I have been supremely unhappy with the quality of the Hobby Lobby brand of things. I got some thread nippers and the dang things don’t want to cut thread. Not asking it to cut through a penny like those scissors on TV do, just 3-ply embroidery floss. I mean, come on!

And apparently I never learn because as I was preparing to go on a long driving journey (about 4 days in the car for only 5 days of vacation out of it, yikes!) I again went to Hobby Lobby in search of a way to keep my needles from poking me in the rear after being lost in the seat. Because that’s happened quite recently. I wanted something magnetic to replace my pill bottle that I’ve used for ages, just like my Momma does.

So I buy this thing. It’s like $6 and I’m already using the coupon on something more expensive (which also didn’t freaking work) so I suck it up and buy it. And it works great for about 2 days. Now I’m no Hulk of a lady, people. I’m wimpy and I have a bad hand with poor grasp. This should NOT have happened. So this lid bends to where it won’t stay on all of the way and there isn’t much of a magnet inside and needles are going everywhere. I just wasted $4!

And when I’m looking at this thing I realize it’s just a tin with sticky magnetic sheet thrown in the bottom. Um, what? I could have done that! So I kept my eyes peeled for a pill box that seems to be of decent build that should open and close smoothly for a good while. And when I found one I made my own magnetic needle box and guess what? It’s working a lot better than that $4 nightmare. Harumph!

For this project you will need:

• Pill box (pretty is good but not necessary)
• Thin magnet sheet
• Thin magnet sheet (optional)
• Scissors & scrap paper

So I got a pill box with cats on the top (are you really surprised?) but inside was this white plastic thingamajiggie that wasn’t long enough for needles to fit in. But a quick push let me know that it wasn’t in there with any sort of crazy adhesive… you’ll have to play this part by ear depending on what you can find because these decorative boxes aren’t at every store and they show up at random places (like Hancock’s, what?)

I was prepared for a little bit of a fight but this thing popped up on out of there like Orville Redenbacher or something. You might need to use a screwdriver to help pry yours up but try a pair of pliers and see if it will just come right on out.

Trace the bottom of your pill box onto scrap paper and trim out just inside of the line you created. Test your piece out to be sure it fits well inside of the box.

Use your paper as a template to trace and cut a piece of sticky backed magnetic sheet. Cut strips of washi fabric tape, paper or fabric to cover the black magnet.

Adorn accordingly…

…trim off the excess decoration and remove the sticky back protective covering from the magnet and place inside of the pill box, pushing down so it holds well.

Now the magnet isn’t so strong that the needles will never move. If I shake my box all around and open it upside down the needles aren’t magnetically connected to the bottom of the box. BUT since I see no reason why I would do that, and with normal use these guys are sticking like nobody’s business I’m perfectly happy. Or should I say purr-fectly happy? :)

Purr-fect because of the  cats on the lid. Get it? :)

Aah, anyway. I’m no longer angry at my crappy and over priced needle box because I made my own DIY magnetic needle box. It cost me just under $3 and so far it’s doing WORLDS better. Now I can stitch and smile and lose fewer needles in my car seat which means fewer surprised exclamations filled with lots of profanity in front of strangers at rest stops. We all win, really.