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Tutorial: Scissor Holder Necklace with Removable Pincushion

Tutorial: Scissor Holder Necklace with Removable Pincushion: Keep your scissors within reach with this super-easy scissor holder necklace with removable pincushion! This scissor holder necklace tutorial uses common craft room supplies, and it takes about fifteen minutes to complete.

Keep your scissors within reach with this super-easy scissor holder necklace with removable pincushion!

This scissor holder necklace is made using only common craft room supplies, and it takes about fifteen minutes to complete. I used fold-over elastic and heavy duty snaps because they’re strong and will allow for stretching, which means that, for most projects, you won’t need to unclip your scissors to use them. (I don’t recommend substituting hand-sewn snaps for this project, as they aren’t as secure.) I also included a pincushion in the design, so you’ll always have a convenient place to stick pins while you work. The pincushion is removable, so you can replace it as needed.

Supplies:
* Wool felt, 1 8” x 10” sheet
* Wool felt scraps, 2 colors for center flower
* Fold-over elastic, 42” or adjust as needed to fit desired length (I used Babyville Boutique Fold Over Elastic from Dritz.**)
* 3 Heavy duty snaps
* Embroidery floss in colors that match the wool felt
* Machine sewing thread in a color that matches the fold-over elastic

Tools:
* Fabric scissors
* Sewing machine
* Measuring tape or ruler
* Embroidery needle
* Straight pins or fabric clips
* Snap pliers (I used the Dritz Heavy Duty Snap Fastener Plier Kit.**)
* Leather/fabric punch (optional)

** Please note that the links to fold over elastic and snap pliers above are affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you choose to make a purchase after clicking through.

Step 1
Cut a 42” length of fold over elastic. (This will yield a necklace that is 20” long. Feel free to adjust the length to fit your needs.)

Step 2
Fold the elastic in half at the center crease and secure in place with straight pins or fabric clips.

Step 3
Using your sewing machine, sew the folded edges together using an 1/8” seam allowance.

Step 4
Select one end of the fold-over-elastic strip, then fold the end under ½”. Using your snap pliers, set the top (female side) of the snap so that the cap is on the unfolded side and the socket is on the side with the fold.

Note: Since you are setting the snap through two thick layers of elastic, you can use a leather/fabric punch to pre-punch a small hole where the snap will go to make the snap pliers easier to use.

Step 5
Measure 2” from the center of the top of the snap, then use your snap pliers to set the bottom (male side) of the snap so that the stud for the bottom is on the same side of the fold-over elastic as the socket for the top.

When joined, the two sides of the snap should form a loop.

Step 6
Starting in the center of the snap bottom that you just set, measure 1”, then use your snap pliers to set a snap top (female side) so that the cap is on the same side as the stud you just set.

Step 7
Lay out the fold-over elastic strip in a straight line. The snap cap that you applied in step 4 should be facing up. On the end of the strip without snaps, fold the end over ½”. Using snap pliers, set a snap bottom (male side) in the center of the fold with the stud on the unfolded side.

Note: Before you set the snap bottom, make sure the necklace isn’t twisted by hanging it around your neck and lining up the folded end from this step with the snap top that you set in step 6. They should meet with no twists, and your finished necklace should look like the photo above When the two sides of the snap are connected.

Next, you’ll add the removable pincushion.

Step 8
Cut out six 2” felt circles, then use felt scraps in two different colors to make a flower for the center. (You will insert a snap into the middle of the pincushion, so the center decoration will remind you not to stick pins there.)

Step 9
Make a stack with three of the felt circles, then set a snap top (female end) in the center, through all three layers. (Using a leather/fabric punch before setting the snap might help here too.)

Step 10
Using 2-ply embroidery floss, stitch your flower in the center of one of the remaining felt circles, then stack it on top of the last two circles.

Step 11
Layer the flower layer on top of the snap layer, making sure that the socket side is facing out on the bottom. Hold the layers together with fabric clips or straight pins.

Step 12
Whipstitch the pincushion layers together around the outside edge.

Step 13
Select a place on the necklace to attach your pincushion, then use your snap pliers to set a snap bottom (male side) at that location with the stud facing out.

Snap the pincushion to the necklace as shown.

Tutorial: Scissor Holder Necklace with Removable Pincushion | Red-Handled Scissors

Step 14
Snap your scissors or thread nippers into the bottom loop.

Tutorial: Scissor Holder Necklace with Removable Pincushion | Red-Handled Scissors

Tutorial: Scissor Holder Necklace with Removable Pincushion | Red-Handled Scissors

Congrats! You’ve made a wearable, stretchable necklace that will keep your scissors well within reach!

7 comments

    • Thanks for your concern! This is definitely not a necklace that is meant to be worn all day–just while you’re working on a sewing project. That said, anyone worried about it can certainly choose not to make this necklace at all or choose to use scissors with rounded ends and/or a blade cover instead the thread snips with pointed ends that I use. And, as with all sharp tools, I trust that parents will take any precautions necessary, and will store their scissors out of the reach of children.

  1. Marsha says:

    What a wonderful idea! I have an quite a stash of lanyards from trade shows, so I used one with a clip at the bottom which clips onto a small pair of scissors perfectly. I made my first couple of pincushions the way you made yours, but now I am experimenting with stuffed pincushions. I have been sewing a safety pin on the back instead of using snaps so one can put the pincusion wherever one wants it. I am using blunt-tip scissors because I mostly use my scissors for clipping thread when I crochet but another approach for those worried about exposed points would be something like this: http://makezine.com/craft/simple-scissor-holder/. I also use mine to hold the safety pins I use as stitch markers. Now I am trying to figure out how best to get it to hold my crochet hook too. I am always putting them down and then having trouble finding them because they have rolled away or something. (I mostly use small hooks for thread crochet.) And maybe a measuring tape. Craft kit on a rope! Thanks again for sharing this.

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