One of the greatest mysteries of the universe is why it is always only one sock that disappears from the laundry and not the complete pair. Every closet has a collection of socks that are useless because they don’t have mates anymore. However, there is a fun use for these lonesome footwear items. You can use them to make sock dolls.
Stuffed toys made out of knitted footwear have a long history in the arts and crafts of Anglophone North America. Especially monkey-shaped ones became popular in the late nineteenth century. Today a vintage specimen can fetch a few hundred dollars at auctions of vintage toys.
There are two main ways of making the stuffed toys. One is to make them out of various socks stuffed and sewn together to form a body, head and limbs. The other is to make them out of one sock only. This is the easiest way to make the toys since it doesn’t require sewing. Even children can make them.
You will need a sock. Stuffing material can be stuffing from the fabric store or you can use alternatives like fabric or wool cut up into tiny pieces, cotton wool or even sawdust or dried lentils. You will also need at least six rubber bands, strong thread or dental floss, as well as a pair of scissors, some strong glue, buttons or eyes that you can buy from a haberdasher’s, and bits and pieces of wool, thread, fabric cut-offs and anything else you may want to use as decoration for your toy.
To begin, place the sock with its heel facing you. Then fill it with enough stuffing to make it as firm as you would like the toy to be. Ensure that the stuffing is spread right down to the toe.
Now form the neck and body. To do this, tie a rubber band around the part directly below the heel. Tie it as tightly as you can.
Now shape the limbs. First make the legs. Take small sections on the tow ends of the toe part and twist them to form balls. Ensure that they are the same size and tie them with rubber bands. Then do the same higher up on the body, closer to the neck, to shape the arms. The legs should be at an even height, as should the arms. Some people prefer to shape the limbs first and then secure the neck.
The heel will form the head. Add enough stuffing to make a head as big as you want it, then tie a rubber band around the top to form the crown. For a more durable doll, you can now replace the rubber bands with thread or floss tied very tightly. The fabric that remains above the crown will form the hair. You can cut it into long strips and leave these as flowing locks or braid them. You may even style the strips into a ponytail or cut them into a short hairdo. To finish your sock dolls, glue on the buttons or eyes and make a face and clothes for each one to give it its own character. Remember that they don’t have to be human. Whiskers, tails and ears will turn them into cute little stuffed animals like cats, mice or bunnies.
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