I've been using pill bottles for storing my hand sewing needles - I seem to have fewer problems with the needles falling out of these or poking through the packaging than I do with the factory cases.
A tip that I saw on a quilting list also makes them useful for stashing broken needles quickly and safely. Drill a small hole in the lid of a prescription bottle that's large enough for the needle to slip through (if you're like me and are constantly trashing ball-tipped sewing pins, the hold will have to be large enough for the head of the pin). It takes quite a bit of shaking for the needles to fall out, so this makes it easy to keep it next to the sewing machine for those "oh $h!t" moments when the needle decided to self-destruct.
I have also used long, skinny bottles to hold bobbins when I ran out of room in my bobbin case.
Another little tip: when the needle breaks, leave the tip threaded until you have removed it from the machine. The little bit of thread is easier to grab than trying to fish the needle tip out of the machine or carpet.
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