Tuesday 13 May 2014

How To: Embroider a Watch Strap

Tutorial Embroidered Watch Strap

I'm in a bit of an embroidery fix at the moment, which is odd, considering that embroidery is really not my thing. I find it tedious, repetitive, and more often than not have absolutely no idea of what to do with the end result. However, I've started thinking more outside the box. Sure, I might not enjoy embroidering a piece of canvas or fabric, but what about embroidery on other items? This thought process led me to try some simple embroidery onto a watch strap - an easy and quick project that led to a really pleasing result.


Embroidery is always a huge trend come spring/summer, probably because of the way that it can give a luxe edge to an otherwise quite simple piece. It's a staple, whether you're at a festival, holidaying abroad or even just adding a boho edge to a city outfit. Here, I've added an embroidered motif to my new watch, which I've worn pretty much every day since it landed on my doorstep. As I said in my previous post, the strap was the only thing giving away the lower price tag of this watch, and so I decided to refashion the strap.

Tutorial Embroidered Watch Strap

Tutorial Embroidered Watch Strap

The process was simple - I just marked out my design in pencil first, before punching holes in the strap using an awl. I decided to embroider chevrons along the sides of my strap, but you can choose any design you like, and even carry it all the way along the strap. If you're stuck for inspiration, why not check out my Embroidery Inspo Board on Pinterest?

When you have punched your holes, all that remains to be done is to use a needle and some embroidery floss to stitch your motif onto the strap. Remember to knot your floss securely, so that your embroidery will not come undone whilst wearing the watch.

Tutorial Embroidered Watch Strap

When you've finished embroidering, you are all set to wear your watch. This would be a great touch to add to a watch you were giving as a gift, as you could personalise it for the recipient. I've only used one colour in my embroidery, but this would look amazing when done in many colours, for a truly folky look. If you've got a watch with a tired old strap lying around, then why not give this a try for summer?

Tutorial Embroidered Watch Strap

On an entirely unrelated note, you can probably tell from these photos that I've done the new ocd/Pinterest thing in organising my books by the colour of their spine. I'm actually really liking the result at the moment, although I'll have to wait and see how long it takes before I organise them alphabetically by author again. Anal? Me? You must be joking.

I'd love to hear if you try this. Any other embroidery ideas for the summer?

No comments:

Post a Comment