How to Make a Sock Monkey by Hand

Handmade sock monkey

Sock monkeys — stuffed toy monkeys made from brown work socks — have delighted children for decades. One pair of socks provides all of the fabric needed to create the monkey, and because these toys are supposed to have a DIY appearance, you don't need to be an expert sewer to make one.

This sock monkey design works best with Rockford Red Heel work socks. They are available at some craft stores, a few hardware stores and online. These socks were introduced in 1932 by Nelson Knitting Mills of Rockford, Illinois. Talented crafters soon came up with the toy monkeys and other animals made from the socks. By 1951, each package of socks included instructions for making the sock monkey, a tradition that continued on even after Nelson Knitting Mills was acquired by Fox River Mills of Osage, Iowa, in 1992. If you can't find Rockfords, however, you can repurpose any pair of similarly sized and shaped socks.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1 pair of brown work socks with red heels
• Round dressmaker pins
• Scissors
• Heavy thread, like quilting or buttonhole thread
• Needle with large eye
• Bag of polyester craft fiberfill
• Wooden dowel or long-handled wooden spoon
• Dark brown or black buttons for eyes (or brown or black buttonhole thread for embroidering eyes)

1. Cut the first sock to create the body and legs of the monkey. Lay out the sock so that the heel is facedown on the table and the top of the foot is facing you. The sock should be long and flat, forming one uniform tube from the cuff down to the toes. The piece of fabric from the cuff down to the start of the foot — just above the ankle — will form the legs. Make one long cut down the center of the fabric to separate the fabric into two "legs." Round off the edges at the top of each leg, along the cuff, to create the feet.

2. Thread the needle with heavy thread. Turn the sock inside out; pin the legs with the right sides together. Starting on one leg, make one stitch on the outside of the foot and tie off the thread.

   Stitch along the foot and leg to within an inch of the crotch: Make a stitch, then insert the needle behind the end of the first stitch and pull the needle and thread up and through fabric beyond first stitch's end. This technique creates a little flexibility in the seam while giving it stability. Repeat the entire process on the other leg.

3. Carefully turn the body and legs right side out, pulling the right side of the sock through the opening. Stuff the body and legs with fiberfill until they are full and firm, yet still soft to the touch and cuddly. Use a dowel or the long handle of a wooden spoon to help push the fiberfill into the legs. When you're finished stuffing, secure the thread inside the opening and use a few overcast stitches to close the hole.

4. Create the sock monkey's head. On the body, about 5 1/2 inches down from the top of the head, insert the needle and pull the thread through the monkey's back. Secure the thread by knotting it twice, leaving a 2-inch end.

   Make tiny stitches around the sock body, pulling the thread lightly as you go, until you meet the first stitch you made. Pull the thread tight enough to create the look of a neck; make a tie-off stitch but do not cut the thread. Stitch around the neck again, this time tying off and cutting the thread, leaving another 2-inch end. Pull both ends of thread through to the inside of body.

   Note that the original sock monkey design doesn't bother with creating a neck. You can skip this step if you like.

5. Cut up the other sock to create the arms, tail, ears and mouth of the monkey. Lay the sock on its side so you can see its full profile. To make the arms, cut off the leg of the sock, from the cuff to just above the ankle. Cut the piece of fabric straight down the middle so that you end up with two skinny pieces of fabric. Round off the edges of the cuff as you did with the legs.

   Cut the foot of the sock in two down the center. Follow the natural contours of the sock and make the strip along the top of the foot a bit skinnier than the strip that contains the heel. The skinny strip will be the tail. From the thicker strip, cut out the mouth and ears. For the mouth, simply cut out the red heel with a little bit of a brown border around the red. Cut out two equally sized semicircles from the remaining piece of fabric to create the ears.

6. Sew the arms, tail and ears. For each piece, use the same stitching method you used to sew the legs, first turning the fabric inside out and pinning it with the right sides together. Stitch around the openings, leaving a hole large enough to pull the fabric through and add the stuffing. Stuff each piece with fiberfill and sew closed.

7. Position and pin the arms on body's sides, tucking in the raw edges of the fabric. Sew the arms into place using very small overcast stitches — pull the thread tight after each stitch. Be sure all raw edges are stitched inside.

   Repeat this sewing method for the tail, placing it just above the red mark on the monkey's bottom. Sew the ears onto the sides of the head using same method. If desired, stitch around the inside of each ear about 1/4 inch in to make the ears appear more lifelike.

8. Attach the sock monkey's mouth. Turn under the raw edge of the piece and make temporary running stitches around it to keep the edge in place while you're sewing it onto the body. Overstuff with fiberfill and pin the piece in place — this may be challenging. Stitch the mouth in place with short overcast stitches. Try to keep the stitches as invisible as possible, especially around the upper nose. When finished, remove the temporary stitches.

9. To make eyes for the monkey, sew on buttons or embroider eyes onto the face.

Tips & Warnings

• If well constructed, a sock monkey can be washed in cold water by hand or in a washing machine's gentle or delicate cycle. Let it air-dry.

• You can make a cap by cutting the toe off another sock. Include about 1/2 inch of brown material — roll this edge up into a brim and secure it with a few small stitches. Attach a red pompon to the cap's top.

• Buttons may be a choking hazard for small children. Embroidering eyes onto the monkey's face creates no hazard.

References

• Fox River Mills: Sock Monkey FAQs
• Fox River Mills: Fox River Mills and the Sock Monkey Have a Long Shared History
• Fox River Mills: Instructions for Making the Red Heel Sock Monkey Toy