Magnetic Needle Case

A simple case with embedded magnets to hold your sewing needles for that occasion when you need to take your handwork with you. There are two variations: a two part case with separate top and bottom, and a one piece with a print in place hinge. There are embedded bar magnets (20mm x 8 mm) to hold the needles and pins, and cylinder magnets (7mm x 3mm) to hold it closed.

Updated (25/Oct/2025)

Added a version of the 2 piece Foxy case (separate top and bottom) for 20x10x2 magnets. Requires 5. I don't have magnets of this size and have not tried printing it with them. You will need to glue the magnets in mid print as there are no longer any tabs (on the 20x10x2 magnets) to hold them in place. Circular magnets have been resized to 7x3 to accommodate a slightly wider range of sizes (I have 7x2.5, others have 6x3...). These will need glue as well.

If you intend to print this, I recommend printing the magnet test for 20x10x2 (also just added) to make sure the magnet fits. If it doesn't or you have any other sizing issues, please let me know. If you print this and it works, I'd love to hear that too!

Printing Instructions

There are plain and styled prints included. The plain ones are just that, plain without ornamentation. The styled versions have images, rendered as separate parts and ready to be assigned colours as desired. I don't have a multi-colour setup, but with a limited palette, manual changes are a reasonable compromise.

Slice the model with a 0.2mm layer height to make sure the slots for the magnets are sized appropriately.

Inserting the Magnets

When inserting the magnets, you may want to use a bit of superglue to tack them in place as the magnets have a strong desire to be together, and that might make your day a little less happy. When you slice the model, make sure to add a pause just before the layer where the magnets are covered over. You'll need two pauses, one for the needle layer, and one for the closure.

In an attempt to hold the magnets without gluing them, I've made the slots a little longer and added tabs to keep them in place. This worked for on my printer, but your tolerances may vary. If you want to be sure, use glue.

Test Prints

3D printer tolerances being what they are, I've included two test prints. The magnet print can be used to test the fit before committing to a larger print. The hinge test is a little pill box that tests whether your hinge will work. The tolerances for the hinge are 0.25mm if that helps.

Updates

19/Jan/2024

Uploaded a version of the two part box with the sleeping fox as an alternative (box - foxy.3mf).