“Mom, can we sew another project?”
If you have been sewing along with this series, I hope your child is just as enthusiastic as mine about our next project…
To recap:
- Lesson One, a fun pillow case, was all about learning new vocabulary, exploring and threading the machine, as well as sewing straight lines and corners with a straight stitch.
- Lesson Two, fabric letters, introduced the zig-zag stitch, reinforced the importance of maintaining an even seam allowance, and provided a first experience with concave and convex curves.
Lesson Three, a sock snake, will introduce working with knit fabric, turning a tube, and attaching buttons and ribbon to create a FUN new toy by upcycling!
Here’s what you need…
Materials List
Knit Fabric (10-12 pieces of fabric…use socks that are missing a match or have holes, knit scraps, etc. in fun patterns and colors).
Polyester Filling (or fabric scraps) for stuffing
Thread
Regular Shears
Pins (or clips, wash-away tape, or fabric glue stick)
Optional Embellishments (buttons for eyes, ribbon for tongue, bow for personality, etc.)
Fray Block (optional, but keeps ribbon from fraying)
LET’S SEW!
Lesson Three: Sock Snake
Step 1:
Gather and prepare your socks (or scraps).
Cut sock (or fabric) to create a flat rectangle: remove toe, heal, and/or ankle band and then cut tube so fabric piece lays flat (this makes it easier for the kids to sew).
Step 2:
Layout your fabric pieces, purposefully mixing patterns, solids, and colors, with the stretch going across the width. To help give the snake a natural proportioned look, order your fabric to give a narrower ‘head’ and ‘tail’ as shown in image below:
Step 3:
Sew segments together, WST, pinning/clipping one segment at a time. This will create the length of your snake.
Remind your child:
- the throat plate is a hands-free zone while needle is in motion
- to back stitch at the beginning and end of a seam (this probably isn’t necessary on this step of the project, but it is good practice).
Teach your child:
- knit fabric requires a stretch stitch to keep stitches from breaking, so use a zig-zag (or a preferred stretch stitch on your particular machine)
- to gently stretch the knit fabric to make the narrower piece the same length as the next wider piece (real life application: attaching a neck band to a neckline).
Step 4:
Give your snake some personality! Choose which end will be the head and add eyes, tongue, and even a bow! You can teach your child how to attach a button with the sewing machine or simply have your child hand sew the embellishments on. Tip: if you make a notch in the ribbon, Fray Block keeps the fibers from unraveling.
Step 5:
Fold the the length of the snake RST. To give the snake a more realistic shape you can trim the head with a slight curve and tail at an angle (as shown in image below); then sew from head to tail leaving approximately 2″ unstitched for stuffing.
Step 6:
Turn the tube right-side-out and stuff!
Step 7:
Stitch the stuffing opening/tail closed.
Step 8: PLAY!
I immediately made my son his own snake using fabric scraps from garments I have made him. I knotted the tail rather than stuffing; it looks a little like a rattle snake! I honestly cannot believe how much they have played with their new toys. They love them!
Thanks for sewing along! If your child sews up a snake (or a monster, or a caterpillar, or worm…), we would love to see you share it on the Peek A Boo Patternshop’s FB page!
Happy Sewing!
Melissa
