How to Make a Giraffe Out of Socks & Diapers

Turn a sock into a giraffe.

In these ecology conscious days, it is especially satisfying to keep unused objects out of the landfill. Few items are more useless than that drawer of single socks in all sizes and shapes, but with a little paint and imagination you can turn them into charming giraffes. Whether you tackle this project for some family fun, or to give as present, it's an ideal way to turn unwanted single socks into a treasured toy.

Things You'll Need

• 1 beige adult sized sock
• 1 tube sock
• Light brown dye
• 5 brown pipe cleaners
• Two brown pom poms
• 3 black buttons
• Brown and black paint
• Paintbrush
• Glue gun
• Needle
• Thread
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Dye a white tube sock beige. Cut two 1-inch pieces out of a brown pipe cleaner. Cut two more pieces, each 2 inches long. Bend the 2-inch pieces in to V shapes to form the ears.

2. Use a glue gun to attach a pom pom to the top of each 1-inch pipe cleaner to create the horns.

3. Put your non-dominant hand inside the sock in the same way you would wear it on your foot. Your fingers should be in the toes of the sock, your thumb in the heel of the sock. The top of the sock will be the head and face of the giraffe, the heel will be its mouth.

4. Sew three black buttons on the giraffe to serve as the eyes and nose. Paint brown spots on the giraffe. Take the sock off your hand and let it dry. Put the dyed tube sock on your hand and paint it with brown spots.

5. Stuff diapers in the giraffe to give it shape. Use the hot glue gun to attach the pom pom horns and the ears to the giraffe.

6. Roll one diaper so that it fills the tube sock. This forms the body of the giraffe. Sew the neck of the giraffe to the body. Hot glue the four remaining pipe cleaners to the giraffe to serve as its legs.

References

• One Crafty Place: How to Make the Cutest Giraffe Ever

Resources

• Craft Bits: Sock Monkey