Sock Elephant Sewing Pattern

Wow, I just realized that I haven’t done any sock doll crafts for more than a year now! A while ago, I received a message from a reader who was searching for a sock elephant pattern, and I felt so bad that I had to say, “Sorry, I don’t have any at the moment.” Now, I am super happy to be able to say, “YES, YES, YES, here is a Sock Elephant sewing pattern and tutorial for you!” I am always excited when I share a new pattern and tutorial because I know that there is someone out there looking for something new to sew.

❤️ Please Welcome Ella ❤️

Just like any sock doll design, this stuffed elephant pattern didn’t come easily and without challenges. I made 3 (very!) funny-looking elephants before I finally had one that I was happy with. What have I learned? That the ears of the elephant must be big enough to bring out the features of the elephant. How did I find this out? Well, I had this great idea not to waste whatever sock material on hand and I was using almost all of it to sew the body of the sock elephant. In the end, I had very little left for the elephant ears, which ended up being a huge, huge mistake!  My elephant animal looked more like a snake with a long nose. Oh no!

I cracked my head for ideas to fix this elephant sewing pattern and found that I can use other fabrics to make the big ears. Ta-da, that’s the sewing pattern I went with! So here it is – I present to you, Ella the Stuffed Elephant sewed from socks.

This stuffed elephant pattern comes in 2 versions, I have the short-legged elephant and the long-legged elephant. Here are their differences: the short-legged elephant is sewn from a pair of ankle socks while the long-legged elephant is sewn from a pair of crew socks. The ears of the short-legged elephant are totally made from fabric while only half of the long-legged elephants are made from a mix of fabric and sock material. And their toe sizes are also different – the short-legged elephant’s toes are smaller and made out of white felt. Get all the details in the instructions section.

Sock Elephant Sewing Pattern

scroll ⬇️ to get the free sewing pattern & tutorial

The sock elephant is about 10″ tall if it is made from an adult sock. Remember, some socks yield a bigger doll and some will give you a smaller one. The size also depends on the amount of stuffing you put in. Plus, you can also use toddler or baby socks. See the pictures below for sock elephants sewn from toddler and baby socks respectively. If you are using plain socks to sew the sock elephant, you can add a patterned sock to be the shirt of the sock elephant before sewing up the arms (just like the grey sock elephant below).

Colored socks bring personality to the sock animals. At times, you will be surprised and amused at how your sock elephant turns out. That’s what happens to me all the time! Once, my sock elephant ended up looking like it had a chickenpox infection. That was the result of me using a red polka-dot on a cream base sock to sew it, so choose your sock carefully! I especially love the sock elephant below which is black/blue with white stripes. This color combination always gives me a calming feeling and the little feet are so cute.

Story of Ella, the stuffed sock elephant… 

Ella the sock elephant sits on the park bench in the neighborhood park which she used to visit regularly in the evening. She hasn’t been here in a while because the park has been closed for renovations. In those few short weeks, much has changed, and not just in the park. Ella looked over at the new playground, now clean and shiny compared to the old worn-down one, and memories flooded her mind. She used to play at the old playground with her friends when they were little, until one day, they stopped. As the years went by, they grew older and slowly drifted apart until… they just weren’t friends anymore.

Ella switched her gaze over to the fish pond. A few months ago she saw a cat waiting by the edge, swatting the water with its paw hoping to catch some dinner. Alas, the fish was too quick for the old cat, so Ella brought him some cat food instead which he devoured eagerly. Soon, this became a routine.

However, in the weeks the park was being renovated, Ella couldn’t visit her furry friend, and thought about him a lot. Today she checked his usual spot by the fish pond, but he was nowhere to be found. Maybe he had moved somewhere else, or maybe his time was up. Either way, she knows she will miss him dearly.

Ella looked down at the very bench she was sitting on. It was bright blue and sturdy, compared to the old wobbly brown one. She thought of the times when she and her sister would buy ice creams from the grocery store and sit on the old bench to eat them. It was a tradition that they had ever since they were little, and it carried on until Ella’s sister moved away a week ago. The good old days of enjoying ice cream on a hot day together were gone.

As Ella looked around the newly renovated park, she realized she didn’t need to be sad with all the changes that had happened. Seeing the young ones enjoying themselves at the playground reminded her that there is always a new beginning waiting to happen. She could make new memories with new people at this new park. Change is inevitable, and she didn’t need to hold on to the past. Satisfied with what she had learned today, Ella got up from the bench to go for a walk.

The End!

Hope you enjoy this short story specially created for Ella, the sock elephant.

Happy Sewing!

Ping us (via the contact form) or tag @craftpassion on social media with your photos of the sock elephant after you have done it.