Refashion: Keeping the Toesies Cozy

Ok, I'll be honest. I'm ripping off this idea from Jillian, refashionista extraordinaire. But I can't help it. The socks she made turned out so cute that I just had to try it for myself. Check out her blog post with her cute socks by clicking here.

So, as you can probably tell, this week's refashion is socks. There's a couple of reasons:

1. My feet get cold really easily.
2. I'm going out of town this weekend, and I knew I wouldn't have time for a long and involved refashion.
3. Seriously, just view Jillian's post and how cute they are, and you'll understand why I chose it.

 It all started with this.

Ok, the picture was a little dark when I took it, so I tried to lighten it. Anyway, say hello to this fuchsia sweater. It looks perfectly fine, right? Well, it's now a little too big on me, so I decided it was time to refashion it. But don't worry, I plan to do more with this sweater than just make a couple of socks. You'll see its return in a future refashion.

I'm making my new tootsie warmers from the sweater sleeves. First thing's first: I had to find out how much of the sleeve I would need to make the socks.

Part of what made Jillian's socks so cute was the button embellishment

Ok, it's not the most scientific way of measuring, but it worked. So, after I figured out where my toes needed to be, I made a cut with my dull scissors (I think it's time for a new and better pair).

Snip, pull, squeeze, snip...dull scissors are frustrating

After I got the first sleeve cut, I used it to match up the cut on the second sleeve.

Gotta have a perfect fit...like Cinderella's shoes

Then I sewed the open part where my toes go with a zigzag stitch. Just a reminder, make sure you always turn the garment inside out. I was in a bit of a hurry this morning, and I completely forgot to do this on one of the sleeves, so I had to redo my cut. The end result was a shorter sock, and I felt like a bonehead when I realized what I had done.

See how the stitch zigs and zags

After I got the sock closed up at the toes, I tried it on. It was hanging off my foot on the sides.

See the extra fabric on the left?

I definitely didn't want to be walking out of my socks, so I took in the side without the buttons by an inch or so. Just a tip, when you sew up the side, the toes will have a boxy appearance. Make sure to sew at an angle on the corner that will be next to your pinky toe since your pinky toe is shorter than the other toes. Most human feet are not shaped like squares.

Taking it in...makes my feet feel skinny

The final step is to trim off the excess. You should probably press your seams as well, but since these are just for fun, wear-around-the-house socks, I opted to skip this step.

And just like that you have a cozy warm, adorably cute pair of sweater socks, complete with trendy buttons to dress up your ankles.

Nothing like putting up your feet after a hard day.

Why hello there, cute embellishment.