Hurray, my sewing mojo is back, especially into sewing stuffed animals from socks. I hope the inspiration keeps flowing in as I have many animals related craft on my to-sew list. Craft design is so fun when the inspiration starts flowing in. Just a little tweak from the previous pattern Sock Narwhal, here comes a new pattern of sea creatures in Craft Passion,
Please welcome – Solo the Sock Shark
This Sock Shark is sewed from a single piece of adult ankle sock (a pair can make 2 sharks), a scrap of white felt, a pair of button eyes, and yellow embroidery floss, it is then stuffed by the polyester filling material to hold its shape. The length of this sock shark is roughly 9″ long from head to tail. For your ease of sewing, along with the details of the instruction, I have also included the pattern template in the pattern and tutorial section below.
Sock Shark – Free Sewing Pattern
scroll ⬇️ to get the free pattern & tutorial
Human fears of a shark because of it’s powerful jaws and the big wide mouth full of sharp teeth. Contrary to the brutal character of the man-eater has given, Solo Sock Shark is soft and huggable, it has the most friendly big smiling mouth with the harmless well-aligned zigzag teeth. Sock shark is child-friendly and it is perfect to make as a gift for any occasion.
Here they are, Sock Shark and Sock Unicorn Whale, the twin sea creatures live together harmoniously and peacefully in the sea world. Though they are a totally different species, they acknowledge and respect each other for their differences. May the world behaves the same and creates a better place for the human to live together without any prejudice.
SOCK SHARK SEWING PATTERN
Solo, the Sock Shark is sewed from a single piece of adult ankle sock (a pair of socks can make 2 sharks), a scrap of white felt, a pair of button eyes and yellow embroidery floss, it is then stuffed by the polyester filling material to hold its shape. The length of this sock shark is roughly 9″ long from head to tail. For your ease of sewing, along with the details of the instruction, I have also included the pattern template in the pattern and tutorial section below.
Enjoy sewing them!
Download and print the SEWING PATTERN & TEMPLATES separately.
Materials
- Sock; Dark Blue Denim color, cotton, adult size, 1 pc.
- Felt, White color
- Button eye 8mm dome-shaped, black, 2; or equivalent button
- Crochet lace thread or Embroidery floss, yellow color
- Poly-fill stuffing material
- Sewing threads (matching colors)
- Sock Shark template
Tools
- Sewing machine. You can also hand-sew if you prefer
- Long Sewing Needle (about 2"), tapestry needle and pins
- Water Soluble Fabric Marker
- Scissors
- Blunt point tweezers or an awl
- Printer and letter size cardstock
- Spray bottle filled with water
Instructions
- Prepare all materials above. Always pre-washed your socks before sewing them. Turn sock right side in and iron.
- Print out the pattern, cut out the templates, and trace them on the intended materials. Sew then cut the pieces out from the sock. Turn sock pieces right side out.
- Stuff parts with poly-fill stuffing materials.
- Massage the parts to even out the lumps of the stuffing.
- Sew to attach tail and fins to the sock shark. Hand embroiders the gill slits with yellow floss.
- Trace teeth piece on a white felt and sew the zigzags outline followed by sewing it to the mouth area of the sock shark.
- Sew the button eyes to complete the sock shark.
Seam Allowance: give yourself approximately 1/8” or 1/4” (you need bigger seam allowance for loose-knit and thinner sock materials because they can be ripped off easily)
MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO SEW
SOLO SOCK SHARK
PREPARATION
Download and print out the Sock Shark template on a letter-size cardstock. Cut out the paper templates from the cardstock.
Gather the materials and tools needed to sew the sock shark. You can use a single ankle length sock or a crew length sock to sew but in this tutorial, we are using ankle length sock.
Remove the stitches at the ribbing area of the ankle sock and release the folded cuff.
Turn the sock right side in, flatten and lay the sock as shown in the picture, align the stripes pattern so that they are symmetrical in both top and bottom layers. Pin.
Trace the sock shark templates on the sock as shown in the picture with a water-soluble fabric marker. Since not all socks are made with the same size, you will need to adjust and hand sketch the template on the sock if needed.
TRACE, SEW, CUT & STUFF
Sew along the traced line with either using sewing machine or hand stitch.
Cut out the sock pieces with approx. 1/8″ – 1/4″ seam allowance.
Turn all pieces right side out and stuff them with adequate poly-fill stuffing material, massage and shape it nicely. A pair of blunt point tweezers will be of good help to insert the stuffing material into smaller parts like the tail and the fins.
ATTACH TAIL & FINS
Sew to attach the tail to the body by using ladder stitch or slip stitch. Make a few loose stitches on the marking lines between the 2 parts before pulling the thread tight to bring them together. Repeat the sewing until you have completed the round and securely attach the tail to the body of the sock shark.
Shape the head of the sock shark a little pointy to resemble a shark.
Sew to close the opening of the fins. Sew to attach the bottom fin to the body by ladder stitch, sew around the part that is in contact with the body.
Repeat the same to the other bottom fin.
Sew to attach the top fins in the same manner.
SHARK TEETH & EYES
Embroider the gill slits with yellow floss, Start and end the stitching with knots at the mouth area. The knots will be hidden up after you sew the mouth to the sock shark.
Trace the mouth and teeth template onto white felt. Please note that the tips of the zigzag are not touching the outline of the mouth, spare about 1/8″ or 3mm from the edge.
Sew the outline of the zigzag teeth.
Neaten the thread ends by hiding them behind the mouth. Cut the mouth along the tracing line.
Sew the felt mouth and teeth to the sock shark.
Sew to add the domed button eyes to the sock shark, pull the thread tight between the eyes to sink them into the body.
Spray the sock shark with water to erase all the visible blue marking, leave it to dry.
~~DONE~~
Sock Shark and Sock Narwhal, the twin sea creatures in Craft Passion. Both of them shared the same body and fins template, I tweaked a little from the design of the Sock Narwhal to create this Sock Shark. Now they are swimming together in the sea in peace and harmony.
Notes
Socks will be stretched after they are stuffed so thick socks that are close-knit make better quality sock shark toys.
Click here to shop for other socks to make Sock Shark.
Tip: 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.
Recommended Products
Purchase the exact same material and tool used in this pattern from Craft Passion Shop.
Excited to find a whale with a horn (narwhal) design. This looks easy enough even for me…not a good sewist but learning.
Adorable shark! I have not made a softie in around 2 years. My granddaughter was fascinated with piranha so I made her one. So I think most of my grandchildren would really enjoy this shark. Thank you for the free pattern.
Thank you, Joanne for the free tutorials on your blog.
You are most welcome, hope you enjoy making them.
So, my sharks don’t look as neat as your adorable blue guy there, but I love them! I am starting to make them as birthday presents for friends and family. Need a quick present? Sock Shark. Didn’t have time to order something from amazon? Sock Shark. Don’t have the money to spend? Sock Shark. Only problem is, I’m gonna keep them all to myself, cause they’re so freaking cute!
I am excited to try the shark, is this pattern true to size or do I have to redraw it on 2″ graph paper. When I printed it out it says check your printing scales. And it has a 2″ scale at the bottom of the page. I am not good with computers so HELP me.
The template is through to size only if you didn’t scale the printing, so make sure to check your print setting at your computer that it is not scaled. After you have printed it out, use a ruler to measure the 2″ scale to counter check if you have printed it in the correct size.
When I want to make one of the free patterns, I run into a problem. My computer is in one room and sewing machine in a different room. I am sure that other people have the same problem/set up.
I do not print out a lot of extra pages that are not really part of the pattern.
How am I suppose to do this?
Thank you so much for this pattern! I was able to make the cutest shark =)
Oh wow, glad that you have done it. 🙂 Please share it in your social media and tag @craftpassion if possible. Thanks for telling us here.
These are absolutely incredible shark! I loved the idea on using Sock Unicorn Whale. Thank you so much for sharing this post. Great pictures. Keep posting!
These Sock Sharks are absolutely adorable! I’m going to try making one with my 6 year old. Great job on the tutorial!
Ohhh this is so cool! I’ve got a baby nephew who will love this! Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
– Mike, https://www.thecraftygentleman.net
really beautiful ! what a lovely idea ! thank you for sharing ! bonne journée !
Geneviève . ( from Paris , France )
Love the shark,cuteness overload