Tutorial: Upcycle SOCKS into Barbie Clothes!

 Lately I've been consumed by all the amazing blogs out there!  The common thread to all the blogs I've looked at the last 2 weeks is UPCYCLING.  Turning your old clothes into new and awestruck items!  I'm a huge fan of using and reusing what you already have on hand.

I'm also a SOCK lover. Some women have a thing for shoes, but for me, it's SOCKS!  So what do you do when a beloved sock gets a major hole in the heel?  I thought with its stretchiness that it'd work well for Barbie clothes.  We'll transform it into leggings for your daughter's (or niece, grand-daughter, sister, neighbor, etc) barbie!

Enough chit-chat..... here we go!

I assume you have basic sewing knowledge.

 Start with a loved ankle sock.  There may be a hole in the heel or toe- no prob. There is still lots of ample good sock material to spare.

 Measuring the ankle 2 inches from the front fold, cut at an angle across the heel.  (bye bye worn-out hole!)

 Next flatten your sock and cut the toe area off.

Flip over to the back side and cut straight through JUST the back layer of the sock.

 Spread open your sock.  It should look something

<----- like this.

Cut from the bottom (toe) up in the center until approx. 2 inches from the ankle.  The ankle will be the waist.

Fold in half with right sides together.

Sew from the waist/ ankle down approx. 2 inches. Curve with the sock- this will be the "butt" of the leggings.    

Now we'll hem the bottom of the leggings.

Fold up the bottom edge and sew.

Repeat with the other leg.

This is the trickiest part, but you can do it!  Fold your leggings in half with right sides together and the legs together as shown.......


(You may want to pin this, but I just held it in place and took my time.)

 Starting at the end of one leg, sew up....










And around the crotch, pivoting as needed.

 Continue sewing from the crotch down the other leg.

It looks a little messy with our imperfect cuts, but that's ok!

Let's clean up by trimming away the excess....

So if you fold your leggings in half with the legs together, this is what it may look like....
<----------------------------

Ha ha. I think the bum looks funny, but once your barbie tries them on, it'll look better. :)

 Turn your leggings right side out.





Admire your work and then try them on your patron.

 I love that socks are so stretchy.  This way you can maneuver them to get a good fit.

I think the Barbies are happy!  If the waist is too tall for your taste, just fold it over.  

I hope you could follow my instructions well enough.  

Next time I'll show you how to make a sweater from a sock. ;)     

 Happy crafting!