SOCK UPCYCLE GIFT TUTORIAL: How to Make Play Donuts from Kids' Socks

One not so fun day at home doing chores, the girls and I were sorting through the box we keep by the washer and dryer for collecting all the odd socks.  The box had reached maximum capacity, and after sorting all the wayward socks into pairs, we were left with a handful of strays that would likely never see their mates again.  "What a shame," I thought, to have to toss away all these sweet little children's socks, as I absentmindedly rolled one in my hands. That's when my nine-year old daughter said, "Mama, that sock looks like a donut!"  

And that's how our sweet and simple little SOCK DONUT project was born. The girls and I spent the rest of the afternoon rolling the stray socks, cutting out felt "icing" and embellishing with bits and beads we found around the house. These plush donuts have gotten plenty of imagination time in our little play kitchen.  I've also enjoyed using one as a pin cushion while I sew!

These little plush donuts make a great gift for a child. They're a whimsical way to "preserve" some of those sweet little baby socks. Very little sewing is required (just sewing the beads to the felt), and the donuts take just a few minutes to make.  You can whip up a whole batch in less than an hour, and package them for gift-giving in a little pink bakery box.  

Here's how to make your own SOCK DONUTS:

Materials

Children's socks (clean)

Felt

Small beads

Needle & Thread

Glue Gun

Step 1:  Cut toe from sock.

Step 2:  Roll sock in on itself starting with the cut end.  

The end result should look like this:

Step 3:  Cut some "icing" from felt.

Step 4:  Embellish by sewing small beads (I like seed and bugle beads) to the felt with a coordinating thread.

Step 5:  With small dabs of hot glue, attach loose edge of the sock to the top of the "donut".  This will help make it more durable.

Step 6:  Using hot glue, attach the embellished felt "icing" to the top of the sock "donut".

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