Nick has a FitBit One, and it came with a cuff that you put on at night to track your sleep. It’s made out of some stretchy sort of fabric that velcro will stick to, so the cuff is a one-size-fits-all. Unfortunately, after much use, the velcro is starting to not stick as well, and the cuff is falling off while he sleeps. So he asked me to come up with an idea for a new one.

Before I barely even got started thinking up new ideas, he asked if I could use one of his old dress shirt cuffs. Perfect! Only a few modifications were necessary, and it was ready for use.

First, I cut a slit through one layer of fabric. I then had to hand sew the opening, so it wouldn’t fray. Then I stitched a line so that the FitBit wouldn’t slide down to the bottom of the cuff and make it a pain to fish out every morning. I could have stopped there, but I thought it would be nice to have a flap on it, just in case it shifts around during the night and works its way out of the cuff. For that part, I took the bottom of the old shirt, cut it to fit, and sewed it on. For extra-fanciness, I added a snap! (This was my least favorite part about the sewing. I don’t think I’ve ever sewn a snap before, and it was quite a challenge to get it to stay in place while I hand-stitched around it.) And now, while he sleeps, he looks like he’s wearing a stripper cuff!

Nick’s only complaint is that his old cuff has a mesh covering, so he can see the display on the FitBit. I could have made a little window, but it would require the device being in the exact position, in order to read it. And I worked on this as a surprise while he was out, wearing the FitBit, so I didn’t have it nearby for measurements. Maybe that’s an idea for sleep cuff 2.0.

I really liked re-using something that was going to waste, but I could see where this would be much easier to make from scratch. If I had gone that route, I could have used my machine to sew the FitBit opening, since I wouldn’t have had to worry about accidentally going through the back of the cuff. I also could have planned in the flap so that it wouldn’t have to have been sewn in, just folded over and sewn. But now I will have a plan for the next one…after I use the cuff from the other sleeve!