Apple Watch wrist pincushion
Sewing requires frequent travel between my machine, ironing board, and cutting mat. My magnetic pin cushion is an essential tool, but I forget to carry it with me from station to station. When it’s not there, I pile pins as I work and then carry them back to wherever the pincushion lives.
A wrist pin cushion was definitely the answer to all my problems — because it’s strapped to your body and therefore impossible to forget. I was all set to buy a cute tomato one, but of course, why buy when you can make?
I let the idea percolate for a few weeks. In a moment of inspiration, looking down at my Apple Watch, I noticed that the tiny apps looked strikingly like my pearly-headed pins. And from then on, I had an idea I just couldn’t let go of.
Introducing, my Rose (Gold) Apple Watch pincushion, cellular edition... because the red crown looked fancier on the fabric.
This project took several hours of tinkering and a few iterations, but the overall design is simple. Plus, it was made of leftovers and/or scavenged parts from former projects.
The watch is essentially a box. At first, I tried to make curved corners, but keeping them at 90 degree angles was easier to sew. Plus, the sides curve out from the stuffing anyway.
I used some thin, suede-y fabric for the screen, leftover from a bag of Pendleton Woolen Mills scraps. The body is lightweight canvas. I stuffed it with some leftover cotton quilt batting, shredded slightly to prevent lumps, and hand-stitched it closed.
The band and accompanying D-ring are from a super cute but highly impracticable fanny pack I disassembled. If I had 1” black elastic, I totally would have gone that route, but alas, my black elastic was all too thick. So I have an un-sleek but functional strap with sew on velcro. I hand sewed the pincushion to the strap using pink embroidery thread.
Over the course of construction, the project deviated from my actual Apple Watch model, but became far more cute than I could have imagined. To bring it back towards my original idea, I added a digital crown and side button in felt, tacky glued on.
I want to wear it as jewelry! Haha.
P made me a felt Apple Watch back in the day — swappable magnetic buttons as apps! ❤️ So here are gen 1 (felt), gen 3 (pincushion), and gen 2 (legit) all together.
