The Upcycled Sock Snail Stuffy [tutorial]

What’s cuter than a homemade stuffed animal?  I love making DIY stuffed animals because it’s almost as if the creature you create in your imagination actually comes to life! I’ve made a few DIY animals in the past, like Ticknamo, the DIY Sock Monkey and the Wally Whale Tooth Fairy Pillow, which were super simple and fun to create.  The best part about creating DIY stuffed animals is that they DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT!  In fact, I think it’s the little hand-made imperfections that make them so sweet & loveable =)

DIY stuffies are wonderful for kiddos, but I happened to make today’s DIY Sock Snail Stuffy as a silly Valentine’s gift for my husband, since he loves snails =)

The Upcycled Sock Snail Stuffy [tutorial]

MATERIALS:

• one old sock (mid calf length, preferably a fun pattern)
• small piece of fabric for snail’s body (approx. 1 sq. foot)
• cotton stuffing
• two Q-tips
• two plastic eyes
• hot glue
• scissors

METHOD:

Create your DIY sock snail’s shell by stuffing an old sock with cotton stuffing.  Don’t overfill the sock, because you’ll need to be able to roll the sock into the “shell”.

Starting with the toe, roll the sock into a spiral shape…

Use your hot glue gun to secure close off the sock’s opening and secure it in place.

Now you can set your snail’s shell aside while you make the body.  Cut a long, curved shape out of your fabric, make sure you leave enough to cut another identical piece.  You will need to cut two pieces so you can sew them together with the “good” side of the fabric facing in.

* Can you see my mistake in the photo below? I accidentally cut both pieces going the same way at first, so I had to cut a second piece in order to stitch them together correctly. =)

Use your sewing machine, or stitch by hand (much longer) to attach both pieces of fabric together.  Make sure to keep both pieces of fabric with the “good” side facing inward while you stitch.  Leave a small opening so that you can flip the snail’s body right-side-out before filling it with stuffing.

Flip the snail’s body right-side-out and fill with stuffing.

Stitch up the open hole.

Now its time to make the snail’s antlers!  Start by cutting one side of the tips off two Q-tips.  Next, cut two small pieces of left over fabric, just large enough to wrap two times around each Q-tip.

Roll the fabric around each Q-tip, securing it with a bit of hot glue…

Now it’s time to secure the antlers and shell to your snail!  Use your hot glue to attach the antlers to the top of your snail’s head.  Then add a strip of hot glue to your snail’s sock “shell” and attach it to the fabric body!

Lastly, attach the snail’s eyes with a dab of hot glue!

There you have it! Your DIY Upcycled Sock Snail!

The DIY Snail Stuffy is a part of our kids crafts series!