Page 2: Sock Elephant Pattern

Sock Elephant

Ella

Difficulty: Intermediate
Finished size: 10″ H
Download and print separately: Sock Elephant Pattern Template

Descriptions:
Ella, the sock elephant is an easy going elephant. It has a calm personality and no-big-deal on almost everything. Ella loves to tuck it’s hand into the pocket and stroll slowly in the park, watching the little ones playing while enjoying the peaceful life around.

Materials:
Make: 1
1. Sock, ankle length or crew length, 1 pair
2. Button eye 8mm dome-shaped, black, 2; or equivalent button
3. White felt – 1.5″ x 1.5″ if use ankle socks, 2.5″ x 2.5″ if use crew socks
4. Fabrics, 5″ x 4″ – 4 pcs if use ankle socks, 2 pcs if use crew socks
5. Poly-fill stuffing material
6. Sewing threads (matching colors)
7. Sock Elephant Pattern Template

Tools:
1. Sewing machine, or, you can hand-sew without machine
2. Long sewing needle (about 2″), tapestry needle and pins
3. Water Soluble Fabric Marker
4. Scissors
5. Blunt point tweezers
6. Spray bottle filled with water

Seam Allowance: approx. 1/8″ – 1/4″ (loose-knit and thinner sock material need to have bigger seam allowance as the loose knit can be ripped off easily.)

Note:
Since the sock is stretched after stuffed, thick sock with close-knit yields better quality than thin sock.
Click here to shop for other socks to make Sock Elephant
Tips:
Always massage the stuffing to loosen the lumps. Roll any long tubular parts with both hands to smooth out the lumps, it will also help to make the parts longer and firmer.
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.

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. Beside 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 feet and full fabric of ears for the sock elephant.

Both pictures above 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 the same width and length, so you will need to adjust and hand sketch the template on the sock with water soluble fabric marker. Red dashed line is the sewing line, while blue line is the cutting line.

Sew the socks before cutting with seam allowance of 1/8″ – 1/4″. Those marked with “X” are to be trashed away or keep as stash for your next sock doll sewing project.

Flatten the tip of the nose and sew a straight line with curved ends.

[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 center line, 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.

Cut the tail piece to 5.5″ long.

Fold up the long sides and sew the tail into a long round strip.

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 to opening of the body in 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..

Mark the position of the ear placement on both side; 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 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.

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 your 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 tension of the thread. Sew the thread back to the first eye and knot, this is to further secure the indentation of the eye.

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.

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 this 2 lines, don’t pull the thread yet. Besides making loose sewing, leave longer 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.

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 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.
~~Done~~