Tutorial – How to Make a Cute Sock Doll Part 1

Easy to Make Sock Doll

I have been a doll maker for 20+ years and know that it can be quite a challenge when you are a beginner. Making a doll out of a pair of socks simplifies the process in that you don’t have to cut out a million little pieces and sew them together. You do have to do a very minimal amount of sewing which is a big time saver.

In this sample I have used long over the knee white tube socks, but you can use any socks you have. If  the socks have a defined heel that will become the dolls bottom. Tube sock dolls have no defined bottom. You can tea dye the socks to give the dolls some color, or you can buy already colored socks for about $3.00 on Amazon.com. I usually make ethnic dolls and was excited to find brown socks on this site. This sample is a little pale because I was in a hurry to make it and share with you all and didn’t take the time to do the tea dye or Rit dye for more color options.

One sock will be the body and the other will be the arms. First, I cut off the ribbing because this is such a long pair of socks, but if yours is shorter you can leave the ribbing on for the legs. Next step is to mark for the legs and head. Use a marker that disappears after a few days or one that needs water to make it go away. I marked 3 inches down for the head  but again this measurement depends n the size of the socks. Use your best judgment for this. Then I divided the rest of the sock in half to define the legs and body.

Her you see the marked doll with the legs cut and read to sew.

arms and leg marked, legs cut

The arms are about the same length as  the body minus the head. Measurements are approximate because you have a little wiggle room when making dolls. Proportions don’t have to be accurate, it’s all in how you the designer want your finished doll to look. Now it’s time to do a little sewing. Round off the corners of the leg and hands, sew the legs up to the crotch leaving about 2 inches open for stuffing. Sew the arms all the way up.

Stuffed Doll

When stuffing the doll pack it as tight as you can get it. It will soften up later. Pack the crotch with as much stuffing as you can get in. Use a high quality stuffing; I used Joanne’s premium. Cheaper stuffing will make a lumpy unattractive doll. Leave a little space at the top of the arms, don’t stuff too tightly there because you need some movement in the arms. If they are too tight they will stick straight out from the body when sewn on. Now hand sew the crotch closed with a ladder stitch adding more stuffing as you go. Close the top of the arms closed with a ladder stitch also. Use carpet or quilting or some kind of strong thread, and do a running stitch around the neck where you marked earlier. Pull as tight as you can and then wrap the the thread around the neck 2 or 3 times. Take a few stitches in the body, run the thread inside and come out at any point and cut the thread. Sew the arms on about 1/2 inch below the neck so you will have some shoulder but not too much. I always go around the arms 2 times for strength when sewing them on. If you want the hands defined sew a running stitch and wrap like you did for the neck. You can define the feet by folding them up and sewing in place with a ladder stitch or you can leave them as is. 

Marked Face

 See the finished doll body below. The doll body picture should be before the marked face but due to technical difficulties – it isn’t. My sewing skills are much better than my computer skills.

Finished Doll Body

Whew! That was easy wasn’t it? Now it’s time for the fun part; giving your doll her (or his) personality. Take your disappearing marking pen and mark your face. The eyes should be about half way down the face. You can embroider the eyes or use buttons, but not for children under 3. You can paint the face also if you prefer. I used 2 strands of dmc embroidery thread, and I always make a very basic face, because face making in not my forte. You can make a very cute doll without making a complex face. The disappearing marker- or you can use one that washes away with a little water- is your best friend for marking the face.

Embroidered Face

Hair wrapped and stitched

This hair has been stitched on the far end, but it can be cut off the loom and stitched down the middle to make the 2 pony tails described earlier. This hair is ready to be stitched or hot glued around the perimeter of the face. This tool is called “Quick Crafter” and I bought it so long ago that I don’t remember where it came from, but there are other ways of accomplishing the same thing.

Doll hair stitched on Head and pulled back into a ponytail