Are you looking for a stuffed elephant? Why not make it yourself? You can easily make your own stuffed elephant out of a sock using this comprehensive sewing pattern and guide. Sewing is made easier with clear pictures and diagrams in this instructable. This stuffed elephant would make an excellent handmade gift.
❤️ Please Welcome Ella ❤️
Just like any sock animal design, this stuffed elephant pattern didn’t come easily and without challenges. I made 3 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.
Stuffed 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!
WHAT’S NEXT:
- Start sewing and share your completed handmade on Facebook and/or Instagram. Remember to tag us, @craftpassion, so that we are able to see them.
- Pin it to Pinterest for a future To-Sew List
- Share with your sewing groups for a sew-along event.
- Learn more about the basics of hand sewing and how to choose a sewing machine for beginners.
- Browse more free sewing patterns and stuffed animals to make, especially animals that are sewn from socks.
- If you know how to crochet, you might want to make this crochet elephant.
How To Sew Stuffed Elephant
Are you looking for a stuffed elephant? Why not make it yourself? You can easily make your own stuffed elephant out of a sock using this comprehensive sewing pattern and guide. Sewing is made easier with clear pictures and diagrams in this instructable. This stuffed elephant would make an excellent handmade gift.
Enjoy sewing them!
Download and print separately SEWING PATTERN for the eyes, ears, and a pattern for drawing the sock separately.
Materials
Short-Legged Elephant
- Sock, Ankle Length, 1 pair
- Button eye, dome-shaped, black, 8mm, 2; or equivalent button
- White felt – 1.5" x 1.5"
- Fabrics, 5" x 4" – 4 pcs
- Poly-fill stuffing material
- Sewing threads (matching colors)
- Sock Elephant Pattern Template
Long-Legged Elephant
- Sock, Crew Length, 1 pair
- Button eye, dome-shaped, black, 8mm, 2; or equivalent button
- White felt – 2.5" x 2.5"
- Fabrics, 5" x 4" – 2 pcs
- Poly-fill stuffing material
- Sewing threads (matching colors)
- Sock Elephant Pattern Template
Tools
- Sewing machine. You can also hand-sew if you prefer.
- Long sewing needle (about 2"), tapestry needle and pins
- Water Erasable Fabric Marker
- Scissors
- Blunt point tweezers
- Spray bottle filled with water
Instructions
HOW TO SEW ELLA SOCK ELEPHANT
- PREPARATION:
Gather the materials and tools needed to sew the sock elephant. You can use socks of ankle-length or crew length to sew.
Crew length is longer so you can sew the sock elephant with longer legs. Besides longer legs, the crew length sock will have enough materials to sew one facing of the ears with sock material.
Whilst, ankle-length will yield a cute little foot and full fabric of ears for the sock elephant.
Ankle Socks
Crew Socks - DRAW:
Both pictures below show how to trace your sock elephant pattern on the ankle and crew socks respectively. The Sock Elephant Pattern Template has the ankle-length template but it includes the templates for the toe (big and small) as well. You can easily adapt the pattern for the crew length. Not all socks are made with the same width and length, you will need to adjust and hand sketches the template on the sock with a water-soluble fabric marker. The Red dashed line is the sewing line, while the blue line is the cutting line.
Ankle Socks
Crew Socks - SEW & CUT:
Sew the socks before cutting with a seam allowance of 1/8" – 1/4". Those marked with “X” are to be trashed away or keep as a stash for your next sock doll sewing project.
Ankle Socks
Crew Socks
Nose:
Flatten the tip of the nose and sew a straight line with curved ends.
Ears:
[Top] Place the ears pieces together with right side facing each other, sew around and leave 1 inch opening at the bottom.
[Bottom] Turn right side out from the 1" opening. Sew to close the opening.
[Top] Fold the ear into halve to get the centerline, then fold 1/3 mark to the center to form the pleat (as shown in the picture).
[Bottom] Sew the bottom to secure the pleat that formed the shape of the ear.
Tail:
Cut the tailpiece to 5.5" long.
Fold up the long sides and sew the tail into a long round strip.
- STUFFING:
All pieces of sock elephant are ready for stuffing and sewn up.
Stuff the nose first followed by the head. Also, stuff the feet then the body.
[update:] In order for the elephant to sit on its own, do not stuff the groin line (between the legs and the body), massage to separate the stuffing material at that area. Once the legs are able to bend, the elephant will sit on its own.
Make sure the stuffing is firm and shapeable.
Sew to gather the opening of the body in the round. Pull the thread tight to close the opening, knot the thread. Set the body aside while waiting for the head to get ready.
Bring the raw edges of the head opening together and sew to close it.
The seam line after the opening of the head is closed. It is ok if it is not perfectly sewn, this part is hidden after sewing up with the body.
- ASSEMBLY:
Stitch Ears:
Mark the position of the ear placement on both sides; start at the seam line of the toe part of the sock towards the bottom of the head.
Sew to attach the ear. Sew both the front and back of the ear to the head.
Bend the bottom edge of the ear down and place it at an angle of 45° backward. Sew 1" from the ear.
Repeat the ear sewing process to the other side of the ear.
Mark the eye positions of the sock elephant. Pinch your elephant with 2 fingers to find the eye positions you prefer.
Add Button Eyes: Sew a button eye on the marking, knot, and insert your needle onto the head and come out from another eye. You will need a long needle to do this.
Pull the needle from another eye marking to sink the button eye deep into the head, deeper than what you prefer. Knot the thread on the marking before sewing the second button eye. The second eye will sink into the head as well due to the tension of the thread. Sew the thread back to the first eye and knot, this is to further secure the indentation of the eye.
Sew To Attach Head To The Body:
Trace and cut out the toes of the sock elephant if you haven’t done it yet.
Now, all parts are ready to be put together.
Mark the sewing lines on the head and body respectively. I want the head to slightly looking down so I shift the sewing lines toward the front of the body.
Pin the head to the body and sew around.
I usually sew 2 rounds to make them hold extremely well.
Attach Tail:
Fold 1/2" at one of the ends of the tail, sew to attach it to the back of the sock elephant.
Knot the other end as shown in the picture.
Stitch On Toes:
Stitch the felt toes to the feet of the sock elephant.
Spray water to the sock elephant to erase all the marking made by Water Soluble Fabric Marker. Leave to dry.
- HOW TO FORM ARMS FROM THE BODY:
Mark 2 lines at the side of the body, 2" to 2.5" apart, this is the sewing lines to make the “arm” of the sock elephant.
Sew ladder stitches between these 2 lines, don’t pull the thread yet. Besides making loose sewing, leave a long thread in between stitches along the loop.
Pull the thread gently but firmly from the long thread loop, the sock will bump up and the “arm” of the sock elephant will form.
Knot the thread.
You may sew back to further secure the stitching.
~~Done~~
Hello, I am Ella the sock elephant. How are you doing today?
Notes
HOW TO SECURE THE KNOT: Secure the knot by inserting the needle between the 2 threads.
The knot is locked with the sock and it won’t slip away through the knits when you pull the thread during sewing.
WHY DO WE HAVE TO HAND DRAWN PATTERN? Not all socks are the same size, so I can’t provide a standard printable template for this sock animal. The best way to proceed is to sketch out the sewing line by referring to the pictures.
DOLL SIZES: For different sizes of sock animals, use different sizes of socks.
SOCK CHOICE: Socks will be stretched after they are stuffed so thick socks that are close-knit make better quality sock sheep toys.
SEAM ALLOWANCE: Approximately 1/8” or 1/4”.
You need a bigger seam allowance for loose-knit and thinner sock materials because they can be ripped off easily
STUFFING: always massage the stuffing to loosen out lumps. Long tubular parts should be rolled with both hands so any lumps will be smooth, and help to make the parts longer and firmer.
Get the full article at https://www.craftpassion.com/how-to-sew-sock-elephant/
Recommended Products
Purchase the exact same material and tool used in this pattern from Craft Passion Shop.
Bee
Tuesday 17th of May 2022
I can’t do the arms at all . Help please
Loru
Wednesday 11th of May 2022
Absolutely adorable I made one and hes so cute
Kathrin
Tuesday 29th of December 2020
They are so cute! Thank you very much for the pattern! I just made my first elephant and I love it.
Cathy
Sunday 28th of June 2020
Hi, I am having difficulty with the “arms” for the sock elephant. Does the “seam” need to be one continuous seam without any breaks? That would require a very long threaded needle and how long should the stitches be? Also what is the distance between the rows? Thanks for your help in advance
Tyrae
Saturday 14th of November 2020
I’ve never used button eyes before. I will be making these as Xmas gifts this year for the kids in the family. The youngest will be just under a month then. Will I have to worry about the button eyes coming off during small child use? Should I just make fabric eyes from felt and sew those on? Thank you.
Craft Passion
Monday 29th of June 2020
I made about 10 stitches to the arm (referring to the above picture) and my double-strand thread was about 1 meter long. If your thread is slightly insufficient at the end of the stitches, you may pull the stitches tighter (the lump at the arm will bump up a little) but don't pull it all the way until the marking is sunk into the crease of the arm. Waxing your thread will help to prevent thread tangling related issues.
Evee
Friday 19th of June 2020
Making one of these at the moment for my little friend who turns 2 tomorrow. At every stage, I keep stopping to enjoy the CUTENESS!!! Super super cute! So much satisfaction making this! Thank you!!