Questions for More Experience Hands

Having spent a great deal of time coveting round pincushions I decided that since the universe had not mysteriously gifted me with one, I should make it myself. Despite never having seen one in real life I read some tutorials, looked at some pictures and went ahead.


The result is somewhat dubious and raises some questions I'm hoping someone out there can answer:

1. How do I get the seam to be the same size? I'm having trouble since it's not a straight line but a curve.

2. How do I get the arc of the circle to be smoother? So that it actually looks round instead of having bits that stick out?

3. Is there any way to get rid of those puckers or do all round pincushions have them?

Any other tips to make it look better?

I've already learnt that I need a much longer piece of thread to wind around if I want the pincushion to be divided into sixths.