Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Preparation
Turn both socks inside-out. Lay the first sock flat on your work surface so the heel is face-up and centered. This will be the monkey's head, torso and legs.
Lay the second sock flat on its side. You will make the tail, arms, ears and mouth from this sock.
Pin together the sides of the first sock to hold it in place. Draw a line down the center of the sock starting about an inch from the heel. The heel is going to be the monkey's bum.
Making the Torso and Legs
Start at the mark just below the heel and sew alongside this line to create the monkey's legs. Do not sew on the line, but on either side of it using the pressure foot as a guide.
Sew all the way down to the sock's cuff. Turn your sock to make the end slightly curved and sew across the cuff. Repeat on the other side of the center line. Double stitch both lines for durability.
Use your scissors and cut along your pen line up from the cuff toward the heel. Stop where you started sewing. You now have an inside-out monkey torso with a little hole in its crotch.
Turn your monkey right-side out by pulling him through the crotch hole. Widen it if necessary but try to keep it as small as possible. Use the chopstick or knitting needle to push his legs out.
Stuff your monkey's torso through the crotch. Again, use the chopstick or knitting needle to stuff those little legs. Once he's stuffed, tuck the raw edges of the hole to the inside and hand stitch closed with tiny stitches. Back stitch for durability. You've made your monkey's head, torso and legs.
Making the Tail
Take the second sock and pin the front fold together. Measure in 1 inch along the front edge of the sock from cuff to toe and draw a line. This will be the tail. If you have a wide sock you can make your tail a bit wider. Just be sure not to cut into the heel since that is going to be your monkey's face.
Sew directly on this line, from the toe of the sock to the cuff. Double stitch for durability.
Remove the tail piece from the rest of the sock by cutting about 1/4-inch away from the seam line. Turn your tail right-side out and stuff and hand stitch the end closed.
Making the Arms
Cut off the upper part of the sock just above the heel. This will become the monkey's arms. Be sure not to cut into the heel.
Cut this piece in half along the crease line. Fold each piece in half and pin along the long edge and cuff end.
Sew the edges and cuff ends together using the pressure foot as a guide. Double stitch for durability.
Turn each arm right-side out and stuff. Hand stitch the open end closed with small stitches.
Making the Ears
Cut off the toe part of the sock just below the heel. This will become the monkey's ears.
Cut this piece in half along the crease line. Then cut each of these strips in half again, making four squares the same size.
Pin two squares together and draw a little ear shape on each one. Basically, it's a tall half-circle.
Sew each ear square together directly on this line. Trim the seam allowances and then turn and stuff lightly. Hand stitch the open end closed with small stitches.
Attaching the Body Pieces
Mark where you want to sew the tail, arms and ears to the body. Hand sew the tail, arms and ears to the body by first positioning them and then using small straight stitches to attach them to the body. Back stitch each piece for durability.
Take the heel of your sock and pin it to the lower part of the monkey's face. You'll notice that the mouth is bigger than the face, and that's how it should look. You will be stuffing it so you don't want to sew it on flat or there will be no room for the stuffing.
Keep the heel sort of bunched in the center as you pin the face to the head, tucking the raw edges under as you do so. You want the nose to have a nice curve and the jaw to be curved as well (but not as much). It will take a little maneuvering to get the position just right.
Start at the left top corner of the mouth and hand sew the mouth to the head using tiny stitches, catching the edge of the mouth with a bit of the head. Remove the pins and reposition the lower jaw if necessary. Be sure there is plenty of fabric bunched up in the middle for stuffing and continue stitching to the middle of the lower jaw, leaving a hole to stuff the mouth so it's three-dimensional.
Stuff the mouth until it's firm, then continue sewing the gap closed.
Adding Facial Features
Mark the position of your monkey's eyes and draw on a mouth.
Stitch the button eyes in place. If you are making this toy for a young child, it would be safer to embroider the eyes with some long stitches filling in a circular shape.
Stitch a smile onto your monkey's mouth with any embroidery stitch you choose.