Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Girls Ruffled Socks

My daughter is almost 8 and still just ADORES anything pink, sparkly and/or ruffly.  She also LOVES wearing dresses and skirts--its sometimes a fight to get her to wear a pair of jeans!  (What is wrong with her?  Her Momma LOVES jeans!!  Oh well!)  Because she often wears socks with her little skirts and dresses instead of hot, itchy tights (see--she really is my daughter!) I decided to jazz things up and bring some of those ruffles down to her feet!  


I got the idea to do this a couple of years ago--and made her a couple pairs of socks--but I just sewed some lace to her socks with regular thread--and forever after they were SUPER hard to get her feet into--as regular thread does not stretch!!!  Duh. 

So--When I was using ELASTIC THREAD for the SHIRRED DRESS and SHIRRED BEACH COVER UP that I made--I got the idea to use the elastic thread for her socks too!  Brilliant, I know.  Why didn't I think of this before?

So here is how I made them.

I started with the elastic thread that I was just talking about:


And I hand wound it around a bobbin until it was full.


Next I found two coordinating colors of knit fabric (I happened to find some great knit shirts at the Dollar Store--so I used those).


I cut a couple strips of the outer fabric 3" wide.  The inner fabric I cut about 2 1/2 " wide--on the hot pink one I cut it about 1" wide--you can make them whatever width you like.


Next I layed the narrow strip of fabric in the middle of the wider strip of fabric.
(Notice my cutting is not perfect--as I was cutting thru a shirt--but it doesn't matter--it all gets gathered up and you never notice).


Next I sewed a basting stitch (set your machine to the longest stitch length) using your elastic thread in the bobbin--sew down the center of your strips.  I like to backstitch at the beginning--but don't backstitch at the end--instead leave yourself a little tail of threads. 

Here is what my stips looked like after basting:


Cute--but I wanted a little more ruffles--so I pulled the little tail of elastic bobbin thread--until it looked like this: (Sorry about the shadowy picture--DARN CAMERA PHONE!!!)

 

After getting the ruffles as full as you like them--I tied a knot in the end of the threads to help keep them in place.

Next I pinned the ruffle in place on the sock.  Her socks were the fold over kind--so I made sure to place it on the part that was folded over (so you actually sew it to the inside side of the sock).  I always start pinning in the back of the sock so the seams are less noticable.


Then I pinned the ruffle all the way around the sock.  I made sure to lay the edge of the sock so that I would catch it when I sewed along the same line of basting stitches.  Also--you don't need to pull or stretch the sock or the ruffles at all--just lay the ruffle nicely on the sock and pin it where it lays.

At the end I had a tail:

I simply cut it off about 1/2" longer--then folded the edge and pinned it down--overlapping the first edge that is already pinned down. 

The great thing about working with knit fabric is that you can leave these edges raw and they won't fray. 

Next I sewed the ruffle onto the sock.  I used another basting stitch with the elastic thread again.  This ensures that it will have enough stretch in it for your little girl to get her foot into the sock!  (TRUST ME--THIS PART IS IMPORTANT!)  However--Backstitch Well at BOTH ENDS.  This will keep it securely attached to the sock.

I sewed right on the same line of stitching.

I trimmed my threads and I was done!





These make a little Girl's Feet VERY Happy!

Linking up to THESE parties.

19 comments:

  1. Thank you for the tutorial. The socks are awsome, I can not wait to make some for Aspen.

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  2. I remember wearing those when I was a kid! I love it!!

    Marni @ Sassy Sites!
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    MY blog is all about YOU!

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  3. These are adorable! I came over from WFMW...

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  4. What a sweet upcycle. your doaughter is very lucky, and I can see these becoming the rage to all the kids in her school.Adorable! I would love if you would link this project up to my weekly upcycled linky party at www.thtshirtdiaries.com or http://tinyurl.com/Upcycled11

    Thanks!

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  5. THANK YOU :D

    This is exactly what i was looking for to make for my girls for a religious celebration.

    This is PERFECT thank you ever so much for sharing the tutorial i am going to look for matching fabrics to make them cute socks!

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  6. Okay, I don't sew. And I probably won't be starting anytime soon. But I would totally BUY something like this! VERY cute!!

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  7. Those are really adorable. I've often considered making some for my girls. This is very helpful.

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  8. Oh my 7 year old would die for a pair of socks like these. I might even need to make a pair for myself. This are so on my to do list now! Thank you for sharing!

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  9. So precious. Great idea to use elastic thread. I found you via train to crazy and so glad I did!

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  10. My daughter just saw these and went nuts! I think I'll be making some soon =)

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  11. Cute! I crochet beads onto my girls socks. This ruffle idea would be a huge hit with them! Thanks for linking up to Topsy Turvy Tuesday's!

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  12. My daughter is just like yours and wears a dress every day! I'll have to make her some of these!

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  13. That's great
    I wish I had a daughter

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  14. These are adorable!So precious Frill Socks
    .Thank you for this nice post.

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  15. Super soft and adorable, these are the ideal knee high socks for any little girl. Designed to look stunning and feel just as great, these ruffle long socks make full use of the high-quality cotton material that is both soft and breathable making sure any girl will love to wear these.wholesale ruffle socks

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  16. I stumbled upon your blog post about girls' ruffled socks, and I must say, these look absolutely adorable! I have a little niece whose birthday is coming up, and I think these socks would make a perfect addition to her gift.
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  17. I'm absolutely in love with these ruffled socks! They're such a charming addition to any outfit, and I can already picture my little girl twirling around in them. 😍 The step-by-step tutorial you provided is fantastic, and it makes me feel confident that I could give it a try myself.
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