Sock Monkey Sewing Pattern

Instructions

1. PREPARATION:
   Prepare all materials above. 
   Take the white felt and cut the eyes following the downloaded pattern above. Mark the position for the button eye. 
   If your socks have a folded cuff, carefully remove the stitches without cutting the sock. Then, flatten out the fold so you have a longer sock length. 
   
   Turn the sock right-side in and align. Press with a warm iron. 
   
2. DRAW PATTERN:
   Draw the pattern on the sock with an erasable fabric marker. If you don’t have the pattern, download it here and print it out. [Note: not all socks are the same so I can’t make a standard pattern for you to trace]. 
   
3. PIN, SEW, CUT & TURN:
   1. Align the stripes on both layers, pin.
   2. Sew the socks (black lines) with a sewing machine, best if you have walking foot so both layers walk together. You may hand-sewn too.
   3. Cut as per pattern.
   4. Cut all pieces out.
   
   There will be an opening created between the legs. Use this opening to turn the sock right side out.
   
   1. Insert the thumb into the leg till the feet end. “Pinch” the feet end with your thumb and index finger.
   2. Push the index finger into the sock while the thumb withdrawing from the sock to turn the sock right side out.
   3. When the feet surface at the opening, pull the whole leg right side out.
   4. Repeat the same to the other leg.
   
   Finally, turn the body out. Smooth out all the seam lines.
   Turn the rest of the body parts except the tail.
   
4. STUFFING:
   Legs & Body: Stuff the legs with poly-fill stuffing material.
   Fill the body round and to the firmness you like.
   
   1. Sew slip/ladder stitch on the opening about 1/8″ from the raw edge. Let the thread loose, and don’t pull it yet.
   2. After finishing slip-stitching, pull the thread to close the opening.
   3. With the needle still on the sock, wrap 2 to 3 rounds of thread and pull the needle through while pressing the wrapping thread with your finger.
   4. Insert the needle somewhere nearby and come out from the other side. Pull the thread and cut it close to the sock. The thread will be hidden in the sock neatly. Always do this when you sew.
   
   Arms: Stuff the arm with poly stuffing material until about 1/2″ from the opening.
   Roll the monkey arm with your hands to make the stuffing even and nice. You can do this now and/or after sewing up the opening.
   
   1. Stuffed monkey arms waiting to be sewn.
   2. Run stitches about 1/4″ from the raw edge.
   3. Pull the thread to gather a bit, and push the raw edge into the arm.
   4. Tighten up the opening by pulling the thread fully, make a few stitches across, knot, and cut the thread.
   
   Both arms are waiting to be assembled.
   
   Ears: 1. Stuff the ear with a small amount of poly-fill. Fold the raw edges in and slip stitch.
   2. Pull the thread to close the opening. Knot.
   3. Fold the ear vertically and slip stitch the opening seam line.
   4. The finished ear looks like this.
   
   Tail: Cut a piece of batting or thick aquarium filter pad, 3 times the width of the tail and the length when it is stretched or partially stretched.
   
   Fold the batting three times and sew the end to the seam line of the tail end (wrong side).
   Whipstitch the folded batting in place until the other end.
   Sew the batting again to tail seam allowance about 1/4″ below the raw edge.
   (Note: I used this method since stuffing with poly-fill to a long narrow tail is difficult and uneven.)
   
   1. The batting and the tail before turning.
   2. Insert a finger into the sock and pull the tail right side out, portion by portion. Only turn the sock not the batting.
   3. Repeat (2) until you reach the end. Continue with the turning by inserting the batting into the tail until it fully gets into it.
   4. Adjust the batting so that it looks neat. Fold the raw edge in and stitch it up just like the arms method.
   
5. ASSEMBLY:
   The body, arms, ears, tail, mouth, felt eye, and button eyes are all set to be assembled.
   Divide the body into halves, with the top half being the face of the monkey where eyes and mouth are sewed to.
   
   Sew Face Features: Position the felt eye with the center point aligned to the middle of the face portion. Pin it and sew with a blanket stitch.
   You may want to decorate the felt eye with a line of running stitches with 6 strands of embroidery floss before sewing it on the face.
   
   Sew the button eyes to the marked positions of the felt.
   To make the eyes attach to the face closely, insert your needle as deep as possible into the face, turn, and come out to another point of the same eye. Pull the thread tightly so that the eye attaches closely to the face.
   
   1. Mark the mouth on the face with an erasable fabric marker. The shape is rounded corner rectangular, with bottom align to the face’s border and top covers a little on the felt eye.
   2. Fold and baste the raw edge of the mouth, then pin it in place. Slip stitch around until you are about 1″ away from the starting point.
   3. Stuff the mouth fully. Continue to slip stitch to the starting point to complete the mouth.
   4. Embroidery branch stitches across the middle of the mouth. Tips: look out for the toe seam line of the sock, this is where the middle is.
   
   Sew Ear & Tail: 1. Sew ears on the side of the face with slip stitch around (front and back of the ear).
   2. The front of the ear is aligned to the sideline of the monkey.
   3. The position of the tail.4. Sew it with slip stitch around too.
   
   Sew Arm: Sew the arm on the marked position with a slip stitch around. Knot the thread and insert the needle to the other side of the arm position. Pull the thread so that arm “squeezes” into the body, knot to secure the shape.
   Sew another arm with a slip stitch.
   If you think that the arms are not “sunken” enough, pass the needle to the other side, pull the thread to get the result you want, knot the thread securely.
   
   Sometimes, you may find that the monkey’s head is a little tall and pointy. This is normal for adult socks due to their shape and design. I find this problem less so with children’s socks. Also, check the density of your sock stuffing. Are they packed equally or lumpy?
   
6. HEAD ADJUSTMENT (OPTIONAL):
   If you want a round monkey head like mine, try this: 
   1. The original pointy head is due to the toe compartment of the sock.
   2. Pinch the top of the head to decide how much you want to sew to make it rounder. Mark with an erasable marker. Gradually decrease the width from the center towards the front and the back.
   3. Join both lines with a slip stitch.
   4. Here is it, a rounder head for your monkey.

I hope to see your version of Marcho soon.

Happy Sewing!