Maker Monday: Sock Monsters

This Maker Monday was provided by The Bubbler’s summer partnership with Maker Corps, and was a really fun, simple, and super popular program!

I booked a traveling Bubbler kit for this Sock Monster program, and I even got an amazing Bubbler staff member who led the program. Pretty much my only task was to help thread needles and walk around helping kids.

We started with a giant pile of socks, from the utilitarian to the whimsical, thick safety needles threaded with embroidery floss, and a drawing detailing how to sew for a one, two, or three humped monster.

The program leader talked the kids through each step, from sewing the initial shape, to stuffing their monsters and sewing them shut, and finally to decorating and adding eyes/arms/etc. She even showed the kids how to turn the heel of the sock into the monster’s mouth or butt. Hilarious.

Beyond socks, batting for stuff, and needles plus embroidery floss for sewing, the decorations can be anything. Buttons make great eyes, and fabric scraps and pom poms can be sewn on for additional elements. Some kids used pipe cleaners for arms, and could even stick them directly into the socks for less sewing.

In about an hour we got through the majority of the monster bodies; some kids planned to continue decorating at home, and others were content with simpler monsters.

The Bubbler offers a great instruction sheet for this program! And you can follow the MakerCorps blog to hear about more great maker programs around town this summer.