Needle questions....

[Anne B.]

I take an old medicine bottle with a child proof cap and label it USED SHARPS. I put all needles, pins, hand needles, etc in there until it is full then trash it.

So do I. But instead of throwing it in the garbage, I take it to the drugstore when it's full, along with the syringes I use to give my cat her insulin.

I wonder if you can send needles (not the syringes, just the machine needles) for recycling?

[Nancy R.]

We have a place that recycles old rotary cutter blades and needles. I keep them in an Altoids tin that is marked "SHARP" in big letters, then take them to a guild meeting where one of the ladies collects them for recycling.

Nancy

[Anne B.]

We have a place that recycles old rotary cutter blades and needles. I keep them in an Altoids tin that is marked "SHARP" in big letters, then take them to a guild meeting where one of the ladies collects them for recycling.

Nancy

No kidding! I wonder what they do with them? Is it a regular recycling place, or do they handlle just the sharp stuff?

[Nancy R.]

I'm not sure, but I think it's a metals recycling center. That's what it sounded like when she mentioned it. The other thing I've never checked on so I don't include is whether they can handle pins with plastic or glass heads.

Nancy

[Nancy R.]

I use Margo's idea storing needles in a tomato pin cushion with needle sizes written in each segment. Instead of using painter's tape on my machine to indicate which size is in the machine, I just put a thumb tack in the corresponding segment of the tomato pin cushion.

[Margo C.]

A thumbtack! :shock: Brilliant Louise! I'll be doing that now!

[E.M. T.]

:roll: Me, too...what a great idea !

[E.M. T.]

I have a longarm and change my needles frequently, if not every quilt, at least every other one. Also I change needles if the quilt is heavy on batiks to a smaller needle.
The needles are heavier than pins so I use the "used" needles as pins in my design wall. Then when I finish a quilt and want photos I can hang up the quilt with the heavier pins. I can also block some of the quilts using these heavier pins and a steamer on my wall.
My design wall is a piece of sound board covered with batting.

Susan

[E.M. T.]

Great use of old needles Susan!

[Lois B.]

I think I need a new tomato pin cushion. Great tip!

[Lois B.]

I think I need a new tomato pin cushion. Great tip!

[Susan B.]

My most frequent reason for changing needles is changing types of thread. I love the idea of the blue painters' tape. That's the other reason...I can't remember what the loose needles are...time to get more organized ops: