This is the place to come to learn about Avery style needle cases.

History of a Needle by Edgar R. S. Bartleet

The following slides are the individual pages from Mr. Bartleet's book which was written sometime in 1890's.  Click on each slide to see a larger version of it or click on the PDF link below to download the entire booklet.  A special thank you goes to Raymond McLaren for provding this original document to the authors of this wesite.

History of the Neelde – PDF

Left: cover.                                                                              Right: page 1.

Left: page 2-3.                                                                              Right: page 4-5.

Left: page 6-7.                                                                              Right: page 8-9.

Left: page 10-11.                                                                        Right: page 12-13.

Left: page 14-15.                                                                         Right: page 16-17.

Left: page 18-19.                                                                          Right: page 20-21.

Left: page 22-23.                                                                              Right: page 24-25.

Left: page 26-27.                                                                        Right: page 28-29.

Left: page 30-31.                                                                    Right: page 32-33.

Left: page 34-35.

Master List

To date 227 Avery style needle cases have been discovered.  Visit these pages to see photographs of each design as well as the original design registration or patent and gain knowledge about variations within each design.

Avery Survey

In 2013 an Avery Survey was created in order to gather as much information as possible about Avery style needle cases from collectors and interested parties around the world.  The Avery Survey is easy to complete and gives you a chance to contribute to this important research.  Be sure and stop here to see the survey results.

About Us

Learn how the author turned a hobby cross stitching antique sampler reproductions into a passion for collecting Avery needle cases resulting in a published book, a Wikipedia article, a TCI Bulletin article and conference presentation and this website.