After finding 27 needles and 16 straight pins in an old pincushion, I have a different place for my needles. Now if I want to put a needle into a pincushion, I put it in at the side in such a say that if it gets pushed way in, it will come out the other side. Works slick.
A few weeks ago, I was sewing something for my daughter and started playing with her knit pincushion. (It is strips of garter stitch, sewn into a circle, folded in half the long way, and tucked into ever larger circles. The first strip is only about 1 inch long, and four or five circles make a pincushion of 8 or 10 layers on each side and is a really cute pincushion.) She was surprised at the number of pins I found in there. Those circles can be taken apart easily and put back together again. The circles are not sewn together.

At least your hidden needles were safe. My usually end up hidden in the carpet of a chair arm or seat. Och.

Did it...and after a few finger jabs found 14 NEEDLES hiding in there. Took a few minutes and whipped up a little quilted needle case. Not doing THAT again.

I like the magnet type pin holders, can't use the mechanic's bowl magnets near my computerized machine. I'm afraid I'd ruin it.
Sharon

I am sure my pincushions are filled with needles. Many times I find them accidentally when trying to pull out a straight pin. At first I thought it was just my hand made pincushions that were the problem then I discovered my tomato ones also like to play hide and seek.

I was teaching a young friend to sew this summer. I brought out my pin cushion and she proceeded to push all the pins all the way in...and the needles too! I took it away from her and brought out a dish of pins. She might get poked now and then, but I don't lose my needles! I could not get her to understand how much trouble it is to have them pushed all the way in.

I have a little teapot cushion that don't put anything in but needles and just put the point in just enough to hold

I did that too. I thought that putting each size into a separate section of my tomato cushion and marking the size with a sharpy would be efficient storage until someone pushed all of them into it. Not fun.

Been there, done that more times than I care to count. I keep forgetting that the thread can come off the needle, then it's look for the needle in the pin cushion. I think I need to make a needle case too, as I'm always misplacing my needles. You're not alone.

wow .. At least you found them ! I have one magnetic holder just for needles by my machine .. I am so paranoid about dropping them and either dog or cat stepping on them; getting them in a paw, tail or who knows !

I can just imagine what the inside of mine may look like. My grandson's love arranging and re-arranging the pins in my pin cushion.

Why are kids so fascinated by all those pins. Mine always get pushed way in by the kids also.
My aunt used to put her needles in the curtains near the sewing area. No draperies, just sheer curtains. She didn't have very many, and she always know where they were.

When I need to find sewing needles, I always check by pressing down on my pin cushions first just incase any needles are hiding.

That was my job with my GGM, she was a seamstress. I still check my tomato once a year when I am getting low on needles.

Never had our dog eat my tomato but my DH is the one that always finds my needles, usually with his feet. :(

I remember my sisters and I doing that to moms pin cushion years ago. We found a lot more than that. We spent hours pulling them out. I think there were over 100. I need to do that to mine because I know there are a bunch of needles in mine.

OMG, this is so funny! I've been away from the board for awhile, so I'm just seeing this....I asked for a new tomato pincushion for Christmas, because mine was starting to fall apart. I knew I had lost a couple needles in the old cushion, so after I transferred my pins to the new one, I cut the old pincushion open. I found 22 needles! One was a tapestry needle! I was shocked, but now I see I'm not the only member of the lost-my-needles-in-my-pincushion club! I expected to find 5 or 6, but never 22! I own several needle cases (kind of like pill bottles for needles); so I guess I should start using one.

Wow all I can say is I wouldn't have guessed that many would have been stuck in there.

Years ago, while moving in to a new apartment, we were unloading boxes and I had my DDs pushing the boxes into a pile to make room for more boxes. All of a sudden my oldest DD lets out a horrible scream and starts slapping her knee. She thought she got stung, but when I looked, she had a long piece of thread coming out of her knee! Off to the ER and and an Xray, to discover a sewing needle was completely imbedded in her knee behind her knee cap, eye first! The surgeon was able to remove it, and no infection, but I never put my needles anywhere but in my needle holder! Ever! My needle holder is a square of needlepoint plastic 5"x5" that I have completely covered in a bright colored craft yarn. I mark the top, and only insert the needles in from the top, and only needles with at least a short thread tied to them. Made a huge impression I can tell you.

Oh wow...this brought back a memory of me sitting and poking needles all the way into my granmother's pincushion! Hers was shaped like a lady, had a plastic upper torso and the skirt was a big red pincushion. I thought it was neat how I could just push on the needle and they'd vanish into the dress. :shock: I can't remember if Grandma caught me at it or not, now...

I collect stuffed pincushions, but use magnetic one in work areas.......for pins...needles go into needle holders ( cylinders). Btw.... For those who use sewline or F&P glue pens..the refill cylinders make good needle holders after you take out the glue refill.

When you place your needle in a pincushion put a cheap plastic earring back on your needles it keeps them from going down in your cushion that's what I do. Works great

Oh Wow! That is scary. My Dear Sister in Law had a cat swallow a needle...found the thread poking out of its mouth. That was an expensive venture but the vet was successful... A guild member sat on a loaded pincushion and had to have minor surgery. I love the thread domes for loaded needles.

What is a thread dome?