Mismatched Socks? Sew a Sock Snake!

Are you like me? Do you have a bag full of missing socks that you refuse to throw away? Or do you have a pile of socks that your children have now outgrown and it’s too sad to donate all of them. It’s hard to imagine when they’re feet were that small, right?! If so, this project will fit the bill!

I don’t know about you but my kids hate throwing anything away that they’ve used for any amount of time. Yes, that includes stinky socks! Kids will love this project because it it’s not only fun to sew but it repurposes something that would have gone in the trash bin. It’s a great way to memorialize their childhood with something they can cuddle up to at night and pass down to their children when they’re grown. 

Another neat idea would be to add new socks to the snake when your kids have children of their own. You could make a mini snake out of their old baby socks and keep adding new chains as the generations go by. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a sock snake made from the baby stockings of you, your mother, your grandmother and your great grandmother?! 

Just remember to use the clean ones! 

Materials Needed: 
at least 10 clean socks (You can make your snake as short or as long as you like. I recommend using at least 10 socks.) 
sewing machine 
thread 
scissors 
buttons 
5" of red ribbon 
pillow stuffing 
sewing needle 

Instructions: 1. Lay your socks out so that you can see all of them. Choose at least ten socks that have similar width.

2.       If you have many varying widths you can also choose to arrange them from smallest to largest then back to smallest.

3.       Cut your socks widthwise into 3”-4” strips. Discard the leftovers.

4.       Cut each of your pieces on the side (lengthwise) so that it is no longer a circle.

5.       Sew each of your pieces together along the top and bottom sides. When you are sewing, the fronts of each of the sock strips should be facing each other. The wrong sides of the strips should be facing outwards.

6.       Once all the strips are sewn together you want to make a mark where your snake’s tongue will be. To do this, fold your strip in half lengthwise. Fold in half lengthwise once more and make a mark at the top of one layer where the crease lies.

7.       Take your red ribbon and cut an inverted “v” in the tip.

8.       Sew the flat side of the ribbon to the top of your sock strip on the front side (the side with no raw seams) ¼” to the left of where you made your mark in step 5. You must move over ¼” because you will have to make room for the seam allowances.

9.       Take your two buttons and either hand sew or machine sew them just below your ribbon in a horizontal line. These will be your snake’s eyes.

10.   Fold your sock strip lengthwise, with the red ribbon on the inside, raw seams on outside. Sew along the top and the side of your strip with a ¼” seam allowance.

11.   Turn your snake right side out. Your red ribbon and button eyes should be on the outside now.

12.   Fill your snake with the pillow stuffing until it is full. If you have a very long snake you will probably need a long wide stick to push the stuffing down to the head.

13.   Once you’ve filled your snake completely. Use a needle and thread to hand stitch the opening on the end of the snake closed. You can also choose to machine stitch the opening shut.

14.   Snuggle up with and enjoy!