Did you know you can make a kitty from a pair of socks? Yes indeed! They are even easy to make. I have little to no skills on a sewing machine… so if I can make a sock kitty, you can too. No pattern is required. Let’s get started!
Supplies
Supplies needed:
- One pair of crew length socks
- Thread to match
- Stuffing
- Buttons for eyes, and nose if desired
- Embroidery floss / thread
- Needle for hand sewing
I would recommend using a sewing machine, but you can certainly hand sew the whole thing if you’d like.
Making A Sock Kitty
WARNING: This tutorial contains very unofficial sewing terms. Follow at your own risk!
(1) Turn the socks inside out. Lay socks flat with the heels facing up. One sock will be the legs and body in one piece, and the other sock will be the head and tail in 2 pieces.
(2) Next, we will draw the lines for the back legs. On the first sock, draw a line down the middle of the sock from the heel color towards the top of the sock. I usually go about 5 inches or so. At the end of the line, round off each side for the paws. For the front paws, draw another line 2-3 inches down the middle of the sock from the toe. I hesitate to give exact lengths of the lines for the legs, as it depends on the size of the sock.
(3) On the second sock, draw the head and ears. I went about an inch and a half above the heel color. Above the ears, draw the tail using the toe of the sock for the tip of the tail.
(4) Time to sew! On the first sock, sew to the OUTSIDE of the leg lines. You will be cutting up the middle, so you need enough space to cut. A couple things to note: on the back legs, stop sewing 1/4 inch from the heel to allow a hole to turn inside out, and on the front legs, make sure that you sew a continuous line between the 2 seams so there is no hole at the top of the legs.
(5) Cut out the body and legs. Cut the back leg 1/4 inch beyond the seam (to the heel) to make a hole for turning inside out.
(6) Sew the head and tail. Cut out. Leave an inch to an inch and a half below the heel on the head for sewing and attaching to the body.
(7) Turn body inside out through the hole.
(8) Now that you have each part that will become the kitty, it is time to add the stuffing to each piece; body, legs, head and tail. You can really affect the shape of the kitty depending on how much stuffing you use. It can also disguise any imperfect sewing!
(9) Sew hole between legs closed. I use a simple ladder stitch.
(10) Sew on tail in the middle of the heel. Yes, the kitty is mooning you.
(11) Gather the base of the head using a simple gathering stitch and tie off.
(12) Sew the head on to the body.
(13) Finally, add a face to the head. You can be as creative as you like here. It’s up to you – have some fun! The face is what gives the cat real character. Buttons can be used for eyes and nose, if desired. I used 4 strand thickness of embroidery floss to create the nose and then I added a smile.
(14) All your kitty needs now are some toes. I just made a giant loop of thread and tied it in a square knot on the underside of each toe.
Voila, you have a completed sock kitty! And below is Angelina . . . modeling her sock… She’s a sock kitty of a different kind.
