They throw it away.
However, you can make many useful things from them, and you don’t need to have any special knowledge to do this.
In this collection, you can learn about various ways to repurpose old socks, and in the future, you may not just get rid of them.
DIY warm headphones
Below you will find video instructions.
Video instruction:
Armband for smartphone
Every runner needs a convenient case to hold their smartphone. This can be done using an old pair of sports socks. This sleeve is very comfortable and easy to use.
Anti-draft pad
You will need:
2-3 socks (depending on their length)
Fiber filling (you can use filling from an unwanted pillow)
Corn seeds or dried beans or peas.
1. Start filling one sock with fiber and seeds (or legumes). Fill as you like, in any order. The desired proportions are 50/50.
2. Repeat the same with the remaining socks.
3. Sew the socks to each other. You can pre-sew the open parts of the socks.
Now you can place a pillow under the door or window to avoid drafts.
Read also:15 Uses for Lost Pair Socks
How to make a cup cover
1. Cut off the neck of the sock.
2. Hem the workpiece so that the fabric does not fray.
3. Sew buttons in the places where the ends of the socks will be tied.
* If the piece of material is too small, you can sew on loops.
* If the sock is bright, you don’t need to decorate it, but if it is plain, you can sew a button, beads, beads or other decorations onto it.
Bouquet of socks
This bouquet can be used to decorate the interior, a gift, a photo frame or even clothing.
Here's another option:
Painting from old socks
Not everyone can do this, but this way of recycling old socks is incredibly interesting. Shanghai artist Hong Yi loves to create original works of art from unusual materials.
In this case, she decided to create a portrait of director Zhang Yimou from socks. It took her three weeks and a lot of pins and socks. The frame of the portrait is made of bamboo.
DIY socks toys
Toys are perhaps the first thing that came to the minds of needlewomen who decided to use socks differently.
Soft toys made from terry socks make very beautiful toys, but regular socks will also work.
* Such toys can be stuffed with other socks, padding polyester, cotton wool and other fillers.
Here are some interesting instructions for making soft toys from old socks:
Soap bubbles at home
If you have a child, then he will really like this craft.
To make it you will need:
Plastic bottle
Terry sock
Food colors in different colors
Soap solution.
1. Prepare a plastic bottle and cut off the bottom.
2. Pull the sock over the bottle and secure with thread or an elastic band. It is advisable to coat it with paints first.
3. Prepare a soap solution:
Pour 300 ml of water into a container and add 100 grams of shampoo and 50 ml of glycerin.
4. Fill the bottle with the solution and you're done! Now you can blow bright soap bubbles.
How to make sleeves out of socks
You will need knee socks, preferably with a bright coloring. Cut off the bottom and you have warm sleeves!
If you don’t have bright socks, but only plain ones, you can decorate them by adding lace, bright buttons, brooches, ribbons, and so on.
Here are a few more models:
Do-it-yourself wiper protection
Nobody likes cleaning their car windows and wipers in winter. You can use old socks to protect your wipers.
You can also use socks to defog your windows when your car defrosts.
Other ways to use socks: Finding small parts
You can put the sock on the vacuum cleaner tube and secure it with an elastic band. Thus, you can safely vacuum under sofas and cabinets without fear that small parts such as construction kits or bolts may get into the vacuum cleaner and ruin it. At the same time, you can find some lost things, such as earrings.
An original way to use old socks
You can use a small sock to make a bagel that will help you neatly tie your hair into a bun. Just cut off a small part of the sock and roll it up. Now you can insert the tail into the donut and carefully wrap it.
Rags from old socks
Of course, this is the most popular method of using old socks. Why buy a lot of dust cloths when you can safely use a sock. Moreover, with old socks you can wipe not only dust from furniture, but also dirt from the floor, sink, bathroom, car (except for glass - it is better to use microfiber for them) and much more.
Tights for dolls
let's take golf. measure the length of our doll’s foot and cut off the excess
measure the length of the leg and cut the golf in half to the desired height
fold our “foot” in half and round the corners to make the look more aesthetically pleasing
We do the same with the heel - it should turn out something like this
then we sew it all together. If someone has a modern miracle sewing machine with many functions, then by machine, but I sew by hand. The wrong side looks something like this
seam on the side like this
The result is like this
Overalls, pattern
Jacket made from sock
You will need: a pair of socks, a detachable zipper, thread and needle and glue.
Take the socks, cut off the top part and cut it as follows.
We get two sleeves and one large front-back piece.
We take a larger piece, bend the edges and sew on a zipper.
You most likely won’t get a small zipper, so we cut off all the excess, take glue and drop a few drops onto the ends of the zipper, otherwise the dog will come off.
We take scissors and make cuts (armholes) on the front-back piece, dividing it into front and back. Valuable advice from Bitter Apple
If you make such a jacket for a girl “with a bust,” then it is better to move the slits (armholes) to the back, so that the back is narrower than the front, and not equally (it is better to attach the part to the doll in advance and see where to make the armholes). So the clothes will fit better
The length of the cuts is equal to the width of the sleeve.
We sew together the shoulder seams and sleeves, we get something like this:
We sew in the sleeves.
At this stage you can basically finish. Sew around the neck and you're done.
For the hood, take the remaining part of the sock and cut it as follows:
bend along the edge
and sew it to the neck.
A hood made from the “sock” of a sock is not a very successful thing. in this place the fabric is denser, and it lies crookedly. so you can try to cut it out from the “middle” - cut out two pieces and sew them in half.
Pants for a doll
I often sew toys in trousers, this pattern is also suitable for pantaloons, “one pattern for all” does not suit me, so I make a separate pattern for each toy and sew according to it, which I advise you to do too. So we need sizes toys, in this case I have a donkey, using its dimensions I will show the construction of the pattern and sewing.
Pants length BE(I measure from the waist to the “floor”) -20 cm + 2 cm for the hem = 22 cm
Waist width AB(we measure where the waist is supposed to be) - I have 24:4 = 6 + 1 cm (for a loose fit and seam allowance) = 7 cm
Hip width SD(measured at the most protruding places - for me 29:4 = 7.2 (rounded up) = 8 + 1 (for a loose fit and seam allowance) = 9cm.
Landing length HP(we place the toy on the fifth point and measure from the waist to the “floor”) - I have 8 cm + 1 cm for the hem of the top of the trousers. = 9 cm
Now we take a sheet of paper (I have A4 format) and fold its length in half, start drawing from the fold, and then cut out the result, this is what I got
The next step is to fold the bottom of the trousers, I use adhesive web, I use it to glue the hem, it makes it neat and convenient, and then I sew it with a double stitch.
We sew the trouser legs, turn them inside out and iron them, and try them on for a toy.
This is what they look like after everything described above, rear view.
We put it on the toy and sew the unsewn part in place with a blind stitch. The result should be like this
You can sew on a belt, straps and put on a belt, but I have very thick, thick jeans and it would look sloppy, I also sew a pocket on the side, also original. In general, have fun.
Sweater for a doll or bunny
The advantage of this method is that it is very easy and quick to sew, you do not need precise measurements, and the result is impressive. The whole process takes about half an hour! You need to sew the sweater before you sew on the doll’s arms!
For this doll I needed a sweater in white and red colors. I chose this pair.
We cut off the part we need.
From one sock we will make the front and back of the sweater, and from the other - the sleeves.
Of course, we could have left it this way, but this drawing does not suit the image of the doll. Therefore, we will close the flower with a heart. We cut out a heart from red fabric (mine is fleece) and reinforce it with adhesive interlining or sickle tape.
We attach the heart to the front with a zigzag seam, having previously basted or chipped it with the sock (do not grab the back of the future sweater!). Fold and zigzag the bottom of the sweater.
Now you can try it on:
Let's do the sleeves. We turn the second cut sock inside out, attach the doll’s hands and trace the outline with chalk or pencil. Sew on a machine without cutting out parts. Please note that knitwear stretches very well, so the stitching must be laid slightly away from the intended lineinside. Just in case, you can try it on right away (no need to turn it inside out):
I found that the sleeves were a little long. And there were black stripes at the top, which seemed ugly to me. I added another line, slightly shortening the sleeves at the top. Tried it on - good! Now you can cut, turn and try on!
The last stage: we sew the arms in the sleeves to the doll’s body. I sew on two arms at once, piercing the body right through, and the arms only from the inside. We admire the result:
Summer blouse
To work you will need:
- fabric (preferably one that does not fray)
- ribbon or cord for ties
Operating procedure:
- Cut two pieces from the fabric, adding 0.5 cm to each cut for the seam and hem if the fabric is fraying. If the fabric does not fray, then you only need to add along the ABC corner.
- Place the pieces right side to right side and sew along the ABC side. Repeat the same on the other side.
- If the fabric is fraying, treat all cuts.
- Sew ties on the shoulders and ends of the sleeves. Lightly melt the ends of the ribbon so that they do not fray.
Dress "Strawberries and cream"
To work you will need:
- fabric (not necessarily in pink tones - you’ll just have to come up with a different name for a dress of a different color);
- linen elastic;
- sewing or lace on the collar;
- hook-and-eye clasp;
- decorative buttons for decoration (but this is no longer necessary - see below)
Construction of the pattern:
Part 1 is a rectangle, the width of which is equal to the width of the chest, and the length is the distance from the base of the neck to the bottom of the dress
Detail 2 - a rectangle of arbitrary width (but not less than 1 waist circumference) and length from the waist (or from the armpits - if the waistline is high) to the bottom of the dress.
Operating procedure:
- Cut out one part at a time, adding 0.5 cm on all sides to the seam on part 1, and on top of part 2 add 1.5-2 cm to the hem (the elastic will be inserted there), and 0.5 on the other sides cm on the seam.
- Fold the top of part 2 and stitch at a distance of approximately 1 cm from the fold. Insert the elastic band inside and secure it on both sides. (On the presented model, it was done a little differently: part 2 consists of 2 parts, each of which is assembled on top and processed with a roller, with a Velcro fastener at the back. But it’s easier to do it with an elastic band).
- Place pieces 1 and 2 right side to right, aligning the bottom edges of the pieces. Sew along the BN line. Repeat the same on the second side.
- Fold the bottom of the dress and secure the hem. If the fabric does not fray, this is not necessary. By the way, the hem can not only be secured with a seam, but also with the help of a “web” - something like double-sided interlining, put it inside the fold and iron it.
- Fold the sides of part 1 above the skirt and secure the hem.
- Now we’re making a collar: cut out of the fabric on the bias (i.e., diagonally relative to the weave of the threads) a rectangle, the length of which is equal to the girth of the neck plus 1 cm for the hem, and the width is 2-2.5 cm. You can simply take a piece of ready-made bias tape of the desired size length. Then take a piece of sewing or lace 1.5-2 times longer than the circumference of the neck and gather it along the upper cut. Then place the sewing and bias tape together, right side to right side, and place them on the right side of piece 1, on the top edge, lining up the middles. Sew along the top edge (it is better to sew from the middle or before sewing, fasten the parts in the middle with a couple of stitches so that they do not move). After this, bend the bias tape so that the top edges of the sewing and part 1 are inside the fold and sew along the junction of the tape and the sewing, bending the remaining side edges of the tape inward.
- Sew on a hook fastener, decorate the part with 1 decorative buttons, applique or embroidery if it is made of a plain fabric.
I quote the author in full
You will need: a pair of socks, a detachable zipper, thread and needle and glue.
1. Take the socks, cut off the top part and cut it as follows.
We get two sleeves and one large front-back piece.
2. Take a larger piece, fold the edges and sew on a zipper.
You most likely won’t get a small zipper, so we cut off all the excess, take glue and drop a few drops onto the ends of the zipper, otherwise the dog will come off.
3. Take scissors and make cuts (armholes) on the front-back piece, dividing it into front and back.
Valuable advice from Bitter Apple
If you make such a jacket for a girl “with a bust,” then it is better to move the slits (armholes) to the back, so that the back is narrower than the front, and not equally (it is better to attach the part to the doll in advance and see where to make the armholes). So the clothes will fit better
The length of the cuts is equal to the width of the sleeve.
4. Sew the shoulder seams and sleeves, we get something like this
5. Sew in the sleeves.
At this stage you can basically finish. Sew around the neck and you're done.
For the hood, take the remaining part of the sock and cut it as follows:
bend along the edge
and sew it to the neck.
That's all. 
A hood made from the “sock” of a sock is not a very successful thing. in this place the fabric is denser, and it lies crookedly. so you can try to cut it out from the “middle” - cut out two pieces and sew them in half.
Part one here:
PART 2. Cutting and sewing
Jacket
The simplest thing is to cut a hole in the middle of the cloth, stick your head in there and belt the hanging pieces of fabric with something. Something like how the legendary Rimbaud made himself a semblance of a jacket from a piece of tarpaulin in the film “First Blood.” However, this is not the best option. Such clothes will have almost no warmth - too much ventilation appears from the sides at the slightest movement and warm air heated by the body will evaporate. If we sew up the slits on the sides, we will significantly reduce heat transfer and make our outfit more comfortable to wear. How to do it? Easily!
We fold the cloth in half, a person lies on it with his arms outstretched, and we trace his figure. Be sure to make allowances for the thickness of your body. Then, after cutting a hole for the head, we sew it on the sides.
Lyrical digression
Once upon a time, in my youth, I had the opportunity to visit one of the geologists’ bases in the Subpolar Urals. I noticed that almost all the workers were wearing good quality, warm jackets made of thick woolen fabric with a rather original cut. It turned out that they sew such clothes for themselves from ordinary soldiers’ blankets!
Later, in the workers' dormitory, I observed this cutting and sewing process described above. Wonderful warm clothes, in which you can work for a long time in the mountains, in the piercing icy wind, were made before my eyes in just half an hour!
If you have an old wool blanket at home (about thirty years ago, the so-called camel blankets were very popular), do not be lazy to sew yourself such an outfit. It can be enhanced with cuffs and a collar made of knitted fabric, pockets and a zipper. I used this jacket-shirt for a long time and was very pleased. I wore it under outerwear in severe frosts when riding a snowmobile. The dense fabric was not blown by the wind, retained heat perfectly and did not sweat. I recommend.
So, the survivalist outfit is ready. It’s not very beautiful, it may not always be comfortable, but you will have some kind of protection from the cold. Please note that it is advisable to cut the panel on the back a little longer - this does not interfere at all, but it will more reliably protect your butt from the cold and wind.
If you have made such a jacket-shirt long enough, then you need side slits so that you can walk widely. If you plan to tuck it into your trousers, a cutout in the front would be a good idea. What is it for? But guess for yourself...
The jacket will be more comfortable if we sew the sleeves and lower them slightly down. The width of the sleeve near the shoulder should be no less than one and a half times the circumference of your arm at its thickest point. You first need to compare this size with the clothes you already have in order to understand what you need. But the width of the sleeve at the bottom should be cut out only slightly larger than the circumference of the palm, so that it just fits into the hole. In this place there is no need for excessive width.
Next, let your imagination run wild. Patch pockets on the stomach, chest, sides and even on the back will not hurt. “Toggle” buttons can be easily made from sticks tied with a string in the middle and sewn into clothing. Such buttons are fastened with a loop made of the same rope (strap).
In addition, we should not forget that pockets can also serve as insulation. By the way, there is one simple way to turn a summer jacket into a winter one. Find some insulating material (feathers from a bird’s nest, the down of game birds you have killed, moss, dry grass, etc.) and sew a patch, about 15 by 15 cm in size, to those places that freeze first. Then you put insulation there and sew it up tightly. Gradually, as the cold weather sets in, the number of insulation patches accumulates and your jacket will turn into an unsightly but warm winter quilt. In general, get creative and experiment.
Lyrical digression
By the way, I remembered my student years, when we went “to look for potatoes” (there were times when, without fail, all students were sent to help agriculture dig root crops for a whole month). So, there we made ourselves practical and very simple clothes from ordinary bags, cutting three holes in them for the head and arms. It turned out to be something like a blind vest, worn over the head. I must say that it was a very practical outfit. It warmed relatively well (if you put on several bags at once), did not restrict movement and protected outer clothing from dust and dirt. Synthetic burlap made a good rain cape if you rip open one side seam and throw the remaining whole corner over your head. In this form, scaring the locals, we paraded around the fields. As it got dirty, the outfit was updated, fortunately there were plenty of bags in which we collected potatoes. Yes, there was a time...
Trousers.
This is the most difficult item of clothing to make. There are several ways to make a pattern.
First way. Let's call it primitive. This is exactly how primitive tribes sewed clothes from skins without bothering with any patterns.
We wrap ourselves around the waist with a cloth like a skirt. We place our feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Sew a little from top to bottom. We make a cut in the back to the place where the legs begin to grow. We start sewing the pant legs from the bottom. When sewing, be sure to sew a large wedge into the groin area, coming from the knees, the width of which is equal to the thickness of your butt. The result is an awkward, but quite acceptable structure. 
Second way. According to the finished sample. Here we will take advantage of modern achievements of civilization in this area.
The simplest thing is to rip any old trousers along the inseams and along the seams running at the back and in the groin. It is not necessary to rip outer side seams. (Although, if you open these seams and then sew the pants from four main parts, they will fit more elegantly, but at the same time, the total length of the seams, and, therefore, the amount of work, will double). After that, having made allowances of a few centimeters for the seams and for possible flaws during sewing, we can safely sew our own pants. If you plan to use these trousers as outerwear, then add a few more centimeters to make them looser.
You can neglect the codpiece and belt, making the waist no less than, excuse me, the circumference of your butt. To prevent these pants from falling off, they can be secured to the body with a strap (one or two) or simply tied at the waist with a cord.
The presence of pockets is desirable. Where and how to sew them? Let's use our imagination again...
Here we should warn against the desire to place pockets on the hips or in the knee area in a “military” style. Undoubtedly, this is very convenient if you are going to spend most of your time at the controls of an airplane or at the controls of a tank. If you plan to travel on foot, then such pockets will only get in the way. The best option is to place them no lower than the level of the hip joints on the sides and back.
Third way– construction of a pattern. To do this, you need to carefully measure the thickness of your hips, the circumference of your buttocks, your waist, and, using various formulas, build intricate parabolas of the buttock and groin cutouts on the pattern. In general, hemorrhoids are still the same! Therefore, if they are interested, let them familiarize themselves with the process of constructing a drawing of trousers on their own, memorizing the formulas and comprehending this fascinating process, similar to higher mathematics. You can find plenty of materials on this topic. But we will limit ourselves to the first two methods.
And the last thing I would like to say about pants. Some northern peoples do without them altogether!
How so, you ask? Very simple. Their shoes are extremely high, in the form of peculiar fur stockings, tied to a belt. The outer jacket (malitsa) is quite long, almost to the knees. In this outfit they parade around the winter tundra, practically bare-bottomed.
Of course, I'm exaggerating this a little. No one walks bare-bottomed in the snowy expanses, with the exception of small children. In the national costume of these peoples there is also something like fur panties made from thin fawn skin (the skin from a newborn fawn is called) which completely replace their trousers.
However, in this example we see that you can do without pants, especially if the cutting and sewing were unsuccessful. We just tie simple stockings-pants, sewn hastily, to the belt in half an hour. The pattern is elementary - a fabric pipe without any frills. This will really help you survive the cold! It is also important that you can move actively in such a suit.
Lyrical digression
By the way, if I may, another piece of advice on how to quickly insulate yourself if you have neither the time nor the opportunity to sew. To do this, it is enough to put dry grass, hay, leaves, birch bark or even just thin twigs under your clothes. To prevent them from getting tangled when moving, we tie the clothes on the outside with ropes: under the knees, above the elbows, across the chest, cross over cross over the shoulders, etc.. Is there no way to tie it? Then you can’t do without branches - they, like a frame, will hold the insulation and create an air gap.
Everything is quite simple, but there are known cases when people who did not know such a simple technique managed to freeze even at not very low temperatures. It's a pity…
A cap.
There are a great variety of hats. Starting from primitive fur caps, called papakhas, to elegant caps, which can be transformed into a hat with earflaps.
Lyrical digression
First, a few words from the field of physiology. When selecting and designing clothes, many people pay undeservedly little attention to the neck. But in vain! This is where the largest arteries pass. If we insulate them, it will help the body fight the cold more successfully. Have you ever noticed how well a soft fluffy scarf warms you up in chilly weather? That's it...
If in hot weather we cover our necks from the sun's rays, the heat will be easier to bear. Cowboy neckerchiefs are not foppishness at all, and the massive necklaces of the inhabitants of Africa are not such useless savage jewelry...
Therefore, I dare to recommend for survival the so-called Eskimo hat, which combines a headdress and, at the same time, a scarf. In a slightly modified form, this outfit was previously used in traditional Cossack clothing called “bashlyk”.
This hat is very easy to sew. From the two halves, a cap is cut out for the head and ears are sewn onto it with a length no less than the circumference of your neck, plus 20-30 cm. For convenience, you can make dart seams on the top of the head (as shown in the picture) so that the hat fits better to the head. Or you don’t have to do them. It is very important to make the facial neckline correctly - the hat should cover the forehead well, almost to the eyebrows, otherwise you will be guaranteed meningitis. It is best to sew the hat first, and then trim it around the perimeter of your face. If you slightly miss, it doesn’t matter - a wide visor, like on a hat with earflaps, will only decorate your headdress and additionally insulate your frontal lobes.
Lyrical digression
By the way, about the visor. A wide and solid visor is not an unnecessary detail at all. Ten years ago, I had to observe how local residents in the tundra, almost all of them, wore huge beach visors over their fur hats and hoods, even in cloudy weather. It turned out that this was not at all silly and not a tribute to ridiculous native fashion. In case of a strong headwind, just tilt your head slightly and you can safely walk towards the snowstorm - the hard plastic visor protects your face very well. That's it!
When wearing our Eskimo hat, it is convenient to regulate your body temperature on the go. It was very cold - they wrapped their ears around their necks and covered their chests with the ends from the oncoming wind. It became hot - they pulled the hat off the head like a hood. It was very hot - we unwound our ear scarves and tucked the ends into our belts, without fear of losing our headdress.
However, the design of the hat can be anything - it is important that it provides good protection from the cold on the forehead, the back of the head (where the nerve centers responsible for our body temperature are located) and the neck.
Shoes
You probably saw the simplest shoes in pictures from a history textbook of the ancient world. This is a piece of skin in which the foot is wrapped and secured with leather straps.
However, not all so simple. Try putting on similar shoes in pieces of thick fabric and walking a couple of kilometers. Very soon you will see that the fabric will begin to unwind, and the strings will fall off and become untied. Quite often you will have to stop and change your shoes. Not to mention the fact that in such “shoes” every pebble and twig will be painfully felt by the sole.
In survival practice, there are recommendations that, in extreme need, you can easily and quickly make shoes from the sleeves of outerwear. Obviously, this makes sense: sometimes, in a hopeless situation, such a technique can save life and health - arms without sleeves are easier to protect from the cold than legs without shoes.
Lyrical digression
There is a known case when during the Great Patriotic War, during a Nazi attack on a remote northern garrison, one of our soldiers was lucky enough to run away through the snow barefoot, wearing only a sheepskin coat. He managed to survive only because he thought of tearing off the sleeves from his sheepskin coat and using them to make something like shoes. In this form, he traveled about a couple of hundred kilometers to the nearest housing and even avoided frostbite .
So, let's start shoemaking. First, let's talk about the sole. It must contain two contradictory properties: it must be quite rigid, but at the same time, bend well. Ideally, thick leather or felt is suitable. If there are none, we collect as many layers of fabric (leather, tarpaulin, etc.) as possible.
Lyrical digression
Once upon a time, I heard that you can make shoes from car tires. True, I have never seen anything like it. I looked at these same tires for a long time, but absolutely nothing came to my mind as to how this piece of rubber, with steel wire inside, could be used instead of shoes. I would be grateful if someone shares the technology...
Let's start the pattern. Placing your foot on the fabric intended to serve as a sole, draw a circle around your foot. In the toe area we make the sole wide enough - it is the toes that begin to freeze first and there should be as much space as possible for insulation. We cut out and carefully measure the circumference of the pattern with a lace - this will be the width of the second part. Then we sew everything together. To ensure that the shoes fit tightly on the foot and do not fall off, we sew on lacing loops. That's it - the shoes are ready. Inside, for warmth, you can push dry grass and insert, instead of a hard insole, birch bark or any other suitable material. If possible, wrap some foot wraps or put on socks. Socks, by the way, can also be sewn in the same way, only a little smaller in size so that they fit more tightly on the leg. Several pairs of such shoes, placed on top of each other, will allow you to be comfortable in the fresh air even in the most severe frosts.
Lyrical digression
At the beginning of the last century, the great polar explorer R. Amundsen mentioned in his writings that the best material from which to make insoles for protection from the cold is ordinary wood. Unfortunately, he did not write anything about how you can walk in shoes with such insoles, so we can only take this generally recognized authority at his word.
Also, such shoes as Dutch wooden shoes are widely known throughout the world. They (the Dutch) wore them in the Middle Ages both in winter and summer. Personally, for a long time I’m already planning to plan something similar for myself and try to walk around in them, that’s all hands don't reach...
And in Russia, people have been wearing bast shoes for a long time. Unfortunately, there are no more masters of making real, not souvenir, bast shoes left... As a child, I heard from my great-grandmother how she admired these shoes: their feet don’t sweat, and well-made bast shoes don’t even get wet! True, their wear life was limited - the bast from which the bast shoes were made was a fragile material, and they were in short supply for a long time. However, this shortcoming was compensated by their cheapness. In the old days, on a long journey, they took several pairs of bast shoes...
And the last lyrical digression on this topic:
Lyrical digression
The shoes described above are good not only for extreme conditions. I would dare to recommend sewing similar socks from any fur (old fur jackets, fur coats, etc.) and putting them on in winter with suitable shoes (combat boots, ski boots or even boots), taken several sizes larger. This is much better than walking in high boots or fur boots, since any fur shoes have a significant drawback - it is almost impossible to dry them in hiking conditions. And homemade fur socks, if you don’t take them off, will dry right on your feet in a sleeping bag. It wouldn’t hurt to cover the top of these socks with light nylon fabric to protect them from sticking snow and debris - then you can jump out of the tent right in them when needed. For long winter hikes this would not be the worst option. And for short-term trips too... It is also important that it is not only more convenient, but also much more budget-friendly than buying modern super-sophisticated polar boots that cost more than 1000 bucks, which, in fact, may not be so good...
By the way, the idea of fur socks is not at all original. Exactly the same socks, manufactured industrially, in the 70-90s were necessarily included in the winter equipment of polar pilots, oil and gas workers and geologists working in high latitudes.
At this point we are closing the “survivalist” cutting and sewing courses. In this text, a description of the manufacture of mittens is deliberately omitted. Firstly, there is nothing complicated in this, and secondly, consider how an ordinary work mitten is sewn and everything will become clear.
Conclusion
I have no doubt that there are many other methods of making clothes in extreme conditions, and perhaps more correct and perfect ones. I have described only a small fraction of this wisdom of survival and I will sincerely be glad if readers correct me in some way or suggest something else. After all, the art of survival is also interesting because it is constantly evolving...
Thank you for paying attention and reading to the end.
Sincerely,
Due to numerous requests, I am starting to publish my sewing projects from socks. Moreover, my MKs from a neighboring site have already begun to actively circulate on the Internet.
Those who have seen my tops have probably noticed that many of my outfits for dolls are made based on blouses and hats made from socks. Although there is a lot of information on sewing from socks on the Internet, I was often asked to make MK.
So I decided to show and tell how I do it. A lot has been written, but I approach everything thoroughly, so everything will be shown and described in as much detail as possible. Even a person who doesn’t know how to sew, according to my MK, can easily sew a beautiful blouse the first time.
WHAT DO WE NEED
1. Socks in beautiful colors and prints.
Small flowers, polka dots, animals and especially stripes are welcome. You can also sew from plain ones, but it’s boring
2. Sharp scissors.
You don't necessarily need tailor's scissors, but definitely SHARP ones! If the scissors are dull or jagged, we won’t be able to cut the sock into pieces well... or rather, we can cut it, but it’s unlikely to sew something beautiful from these pieces
For cutting, I use both tailor's scissors and regular stationery scissors bought at Ikea. They sell a set of three scissors of different sizes with colored handles in blue, red and yellow. Any of these scissors work great. Dull scissors will “chew” the fabric of the sock, causing an uneven cut, or the fabric will move, which means the details will become different. And since our sizes are very small, this makes a big difference!
3. Thin needle.
Also a very important point!!! I sew with a large eye beading needle. The needle is not the thinnest of beads, but thin enough to make small, neat stitches.
I understand that not everyone has such a needle, we find the thinnest one in our supplies. Believe me, you can lay beautiful, small and even seams by hand.
a thick needle is not realistic! But we want beautiful seams on a beautiful blouse
4. Threads of a suitable color.
The threads can be any, but certainly not thick. Ordinary sewing machines such as Dor Tak or Ideal. Even threads from Fixprice are also perfect.
5. Good mood and fighting spirit!
Before we start cutting, a little theory about choosing socks for work.
There are a great many socks in my stocks, I will not show all the stocks, so as not to scare the public, I will only show by what principle I try to select a combination of socks of different colors and designs.
I really like Lenta socks. These were sold as a set. For the slats I added scraps of a gray plain sock. I sewed a set for Alice Star of the Podium 45 cm. I haven’t shown the set yet, the image is not finished yet.
Another example of socks from Lenta.
Here are two socks from Lena, the bottom one is simply striped, bought in another store. The color matches perfectly and the stripes are beautiful and thin.
As an example of the use of such socks, a set made for Paolka. The image is already completely finished, but I haven’t filmed it yet, I haven’t shown it anywhere. 
For Baby Star Baby Girl, sewed boots and hats from these socks. The doll is smaller, one sock was enough. For a bolero with lilac flowers, the edging was made from a cut strip of a plain lilac sock of a suitable shade.
Another large set of socks, 5 pairs from Lenta. The photo shows trimmings from three types from the set. The whole socks are lying far away, I won’t show you.
Made for Alice, the full look is in the process of being created, I haven’t shown it anywhere yet.
Now I’ll just show you examples of the socks I use to sew.
here, too, striped socks from Lenta. Teenage polka dots are not cheap, lilac and blue are the most inexpensive, bought in cheap stores 
Here the socks are all from different stores. With birds from Lenta, teenagers from a beautiful set, lilac with flowers, I know exactly what the local manufacturer is doing, they are available in almost all of our stores. All striped ones were bought in cheap stores. 
Well, as an example, the sock from the previous photo and what I sewed from it for Baby Star. The set is actively worn, Baby travels with me everywhere in this set, so the set already looks a little shabby
Now I will show you semi-finished products that are in varying degrees of readiness.
As an example, an almost finished blouse, all that remains is to decide what the neck will be, finish it, and sew on micro Velcro. In the photo are the socks from which I sewed and various scraps of the same color to use for the neckline, well, the unfinished jacket itself. 
Teenage socks are more difficult to cut; they are narrower and shorter. In the photo, cut from such a sock, cut the sleeves from another sock, a suitable color. Because the sleeves did not fit the required length in the layout. And of course, there are fewer scraps left 
Another cut. Two types of socks. On top for a hat, I haven’t decided what it will be yet. I will most likely treat the neck with my favorite stand, and cut strips from the top piece. I haven't decided on the hat yet either.
So let's begin!!!
I’ll say right away that maybe I’m doing it wrong, but I never use patterns when I sew from socks. I'll show you how you can safely do without them. I’ll make a reservation, you don’t need to sew from other fabrics like this, this only applies to the sock theme.
Oh yes! Sewing tights and stockings using patterns is welcome. But that’s another story, we won’t consider it for now, especially since there are quite a few MKs on Beybiki.
I offer two options: From one pair of noses and from two socks of different pairs.
The first option for a 32 cm Paola Reina doll
I will sew from socks, which everyone loved in my products.
Due to the fact that the elastic, which is an ideal strip, is located at a large distance from the pattern we need, I will cut off the elastic and then sew it on, but on the other side, in order to turn the pattern over. I want it to be positioned correctly.
I show the cutting line with a ribbon 
Now you need to measure the length of the blouse. I just place the doll and look at it to see where the cutting line will be. My daughter’s Chinese doll, disassembled for parts, serves as a mannequin. The body size is almost identical to that of Paola Reina. Now I’m trying not to trash the original doll once again, just like I got this carcass. Since I sew and knit a lot on Paolok, you can imagine how my doll can chatter :-)
Now I will cut a hat from the second sock. Because the strip from the elastic to the design is too wide, this interferes with the beautiful placement of the design on the cap.
Cut off the elastic band. We'll sew it on later. 
I forgot to note an important point!!!
Don't cut the toe straight if you want a circular piece. That is, we cut a small hole, and then carefully cut it in a circle, maintaining an equal width of the strip. If you cut by simply laying the sock on the table, due to the nature of the sock fabric, you will most likely bevel. And on one side you will have an even cut, but on the other you will most likely grab more or less. This is also important when cutting striped socks. We make an incision and cut clearly into strips.
This is what the hat will look like. Most likely I will change something, but I usually decide this during the sewing process. I will definitely show you everything! 
Now we will cut the sleeves.
I don't use a pattern, I just attach the doll and cut it. The photo shows what the finished sleeve looks like under the doll's shoulder-arm. 
You can make marks on a piece of paper for the length and width of the sleeve. The photo clearly shows what the width and length should be relative to the doll’s body.
I deliberately do not give you a pattern so that you can learn how to sew from a sock on any small doll. The cut of the sock for large size dolls is completely different. I sew by application on all kinds of dolls from 8 cm to 45 cm.
In the next photo I show how the sleeve will be positioned on the sock for the cut. In fact, I cut it out by eye, attaching the doll, make a small notch along the length of the sleeve, a notch along the shoulder, and cut a line to the desired width of the cuff. Having attached the doll, I make a mark where the armhole ends. I cut along the edging line, which I have already memorized. But it can always be adjusted by tailoring a little more than necessary. Well, I connect the line from the armpit to the bottom of the sleeve.
Girls, I don’t know the programs in which you can draw on photos. I really hope that my explanations will be clear to everyone.
These socks are not easy to cut due to the inscriptions and inappropriate flowers on the soles.
Notice how I use the heel area in the cutting! This is the perfect sleeve roll!!!
The main thing is to make sure that you don’t get the decrease lines on the heel on the sleeve. This line is clearly visible, this is the place due to which the heel is narrowed.
Eh, I didn’t take a photo, but now it’s already dark, the light is bad...
These are the sleeves I got. The flowers will be on the inside and will partially go into the seam; they will practically not be visible. And then I’ll come up with some decor for the letters and hide them in a creative way. Well, you can always make a three-quarter sleeve!
Now let's see what we can do
It should be something like this
Now you need to make the bevels of the shoulder seam. If this is not done, the fit of the blouse will not be beautiful, the shoulder will stick out. I showed the approximate cutting line with a ribbon. 
Trim the neck a little. You can leave it like that for now, then trim it later. I don’t deepen the front on purpose, this can always be done later. This will ensure that the edges of the neck won’t fray too much; we will be doing fittings, and the neck will be processed last. I also do the fastening on the back later for the same reason.
Now we apply the sleeve to the “body” of the future blouse. In my photo you can see that I missed the mark a little with the sleeve width. Therefore, the next photo shows how I slightly trimmed the width while capturing the edge; it is in the area of the edge that there is excess. If you leave it the same way, the armhole will be almost to the waist. but we don’t need that!
Now it's much better! 
Now you need to cut out the armhole holes on the “body” of the future blouse.
We measure by attaching the sleeve. For clarity, shown with a ribbon 
I make the cut to the desired length. We look clearly at the edge of the sleeve. Then we cut it off a little, literally 2 mm, rounding it to the lower edge of the armhole.
Please note that the armhole is slightly smaller, I leave a little for the fit. that is, then when I sew on the sleeve, I’ll adjust the sleeve just a little bit.
photo with excess cropped 
So, now we will sew the parts together.
I will show and tell you how I do it. My sequence does not claim to be original, but it was all achieved through trial and error. As a result, I worked out the sequence that produces the highest quality, beautiful result, with straight lines and a “clean” back.
For sewing we will use the following seams:
SEAM BACK WITH A NEEDLE
Overcast seam 
First we sew the hem of the sleeves. I don’t make the thread too long so that it doesn’t get tangled, but not too short so that I can continue to sew further and avoid a large number of knots.
I always sew with a thin needle, always with one thread!!! This is the only way to achieve a neat stitch!!!
I make a hem of 3 mm, this is quite enough for the sleeve.
We sew the needle with a back seam using very small stitches no more than 2 mm, the puncture and puncture should be at one point. For this we need a thin needle.
In the photo I won’t have very straight lines, but I was in a hurry, because many were already waiting for the continuation. I can sew at any time of the day, but I can only take photographs during the day, in natural light. That's why I try to do everything quickly. 
This is what the inside looks like.
The photo is greatly enlarged so that it can be seen. The stitches are actually very small, due to this the edge will not fray. 
Photo of the front side 
Next, without tearing off the thread, we begin to sew the sleeve lengthwise. We make the initial stitches as carefully as possible, do not forget, this place will be visible if, for example, the doll raises its arms horizontally. 
We sew the seam back with a needle, leaving an edge of 2-3 mm. We also make stitches no more than 2 mm. Having sewn to the end, without breaking the thread, turn to the other side. 
Now we overcast the cut with an overcast stitch, again with small stitches, the stitch pitch is no more than 2 mm. This will prevent the seams from fraying and the inside will be beautiful. 
Having reached the hem, we do the following trick ;-)) bend the edges in different directions and carefully sew to the hem with small stitches. The photo shows how I do it. 
This is what the seam looks like from the front side. Agree, the look is quite neat! 
In this way we sew both sleeves. I sewed one because I’m in a hurry to show you quickly, but you sew both at once.
We put the sleeves aside, first turning them right side out very carefully, trying not to stretch the raw edge. And we get to work on the “body” of the blouse. We begin to sew the shoulder from the sleeve edge, sew the seam back with a needle to the neckline.
Then we turn it without breaking the thread and continue to sew with an overcast stitch in the opposite direction.
We do not break the thread, unless of course it remains.
Next we sew on the sleeve. Sleeve on the front side, insert into the armhole, combine the points: the center of the collar with the shoulder seam, and the armpit seam with the middle of the armhole cutout.
Carefully distribute the sleeve in the armhole and pin it with tailor's pins. I sew without pins, I no longer need them, I advise you not to neglect them the first time. 
We sew the needle with a back seam, as always, with small stitches in the round. 
And of course, without breaking the thread, we continue to sew with an overlock stitch. 
This is what our sewn sleeve looks like.
Here I actually put the finishing stitch right away, but since I was in a hurry, I didn’t do it yet. Moreover, if the thread remains, I continue to sew without breaking it)))
In this way we sew both sleeves. I only have one sleeve in the photo.
Now we need to make a cut along the back so that we can put the blouse on the doll. We do it exactly in the middle of the skin. 
Then we hem the hem for the fastener. I'll tell you about the clasp separately.
We bend 3 mm, this is quite enough.
Now the important point. If you are sewing a blouse for a children's game, then we will do it a little differently. If you sew for your favorites (applies to collectors), then repeat as I do.
If you did not cut off the elastic because your sock allowed it, then we also skip this step. I'll show you later how to do it with a one-piece plank. I need to sew it up and take a photo.
In order to sew an elastic strap to the cat’s body, we need to sew the bottom of the shelves so that they then hold tightly. Believe me, this is important! Tested by my own experience. 
I sew finely and finely to one side, make a strong bartack and return back to the edge. I turn it right side out. If there is enough thread, I don’t break it.
We put the cut elastic band inside, distribute it evenly, and pin it together. Sew with small stitches, overcast with a fine overcast stitch.
Let's look at the photo.
And now, turn it right side out and sew the finishing stitch forward with a needle, using small 2 mm stitches, pressing the seam with your finger and grabbing this seam, as if making it flat. Ufff, I don’t know how to describe... I hope it’s clear
The photo shows the difference in how the canvas looks with and without a seam.
The photo clearly shows that I laid a finishing stitch along the armhole. I try to do this stitch on all blouses, it improves the appearance, the sleeve in the armhole area does not puff up. I don’t show a separate photo of how I do this, because everything is clear.
I decided to make the neckline of the orange blouse without a stand. I already have an image in mind and a neckline like this would be more appropriate for it.
To do this, I trimmed the neckline from the center to the shoulder seams. We turn the edge inwards and carefully sew it with the same seam as the sleeves. We make the seam as usual with small stitches. And here is the almost finished blouse. All that remains is to make the clasp. I will make it from micro Velcro. 
SECOND METHOD OF CUTTING AND SEWING FROM SOCKS
We will also sew for a 32cm Paola Reina doll
Now I will show you another cutting option, from two types of socks
First the selection.
I liked this combination 
Let's see how to place the pattern on the doll's chest-belly :-)))
Now let's cut it off 
This is the only way to make sleeves from a striped short sock 
no, of course it can be done differently, but we choose the most profitable layout method
VERY IMPORTANT
If we need to cut off part of a striped sock, DO NOT cut through both layers!!!
We make a small incision, put scissors into the hole and carefully cut the sock clearly along the strip.
Believe me, you will never cut the strips exactly! And you will have the stripes misaligned in the seam, or worse, the two pieces will be different!
And if you cover the extra color section from the desired part, how will you get it back later??? 
To cut the sleeve, I used our previously cut sleeve. If you are cutting for the first time, then see my cutting instructions above. 
I cut the second sleeve so that the stripes completely match 
I don’t throw away all the trimmings, except very small ones. I am a noble plushkin, I find a use for everything.
like this 
Let's see what we can do 
all OK!!! 
maybe so? 
Mmmmm... I like it better!
Then let's do it! 
Wow! Perfect! You will get a beautiful sports blouse with a cool cat on the belly
There is a stripe at the top for the neck. I don’t cut it to length, that’s all later, after sewing the shoulder seams
Somewhere I missed the stage of cutting the shoulder bevels, but everything is exactly the same as in the first version. And one more clarification. since the toe is a little narrower than I would like (like a teenager), we make the armhole cuts simply, without cutting off anything extra, as in the first option. You won't get a dropped shoulder here due to the narrow toe.
I will not show in the photo those stages that are almost the same as in the first MK.
The only clarification is that when you sew parts with stripes, strictly ensure that the stripes match; when sewing by hand, this is not difficult. But in return you will get a beautiful junction.
Here is our blouse in almost finished form. I trimmed the neck line slightly from the center. Please note that there is also a finishing stitch along the armhole.
In the photo of the bark you saw the strip that I prepared for the collar, it is about 1 cm. We fold it face to face lengthwise, and sew it on one edge with the seam forward using a needle. Cut the corner from the inner edge of the strip very slightly at an angle, so that the corner does not puff up when we turn the collar inside out. Be careful not to grab too much, otherwise you will end up with a hole.
Turn it right side out. Now we need to try on the collar - we put the edge to the edge of the sewn side of the collar, stretching it slightly (just a little), we put it along the neckline, we reach the opposite edge. Now we cut off the excess from the strip, not forgetting to leave 2 mm for the seam. 
Now we can sew the collar from the second edge. 
Use tailor's pins to pin the collar to the neckline, distributing it evenly, and sew it on.
Serging. We bend the collar, lay a finishing seam, pressing our seam downwards, i.e. the collar itself should be straight. 
And here is our collar and almost finished blouse. 
CUTTING AND SEWING FOR A BARBIE DOLL
Now let's look at how to cut a blouse for Barbie dolls.
Barbie dolls and others of the same format are different from Paola Reina dolls. Therefore, we will cut it a little differently!
I have a daughter, Steffi, but I will be sewing for my future Babri Yoga, which I will pick up on Friday. Perhaps the blouse will be a little big for my Barbie, but I can always adjust it. And in principle, for now I’ll open it with a small margin
I chose the sock you saw in the photo above.
We put the doll to the sock, see where we will cut off the sock. DON'T FORGET to add more on the shoulder bevel and on the seam.
If our sock is striped like mine, then cut it off as I taught above. We find a joint in the drawing and cut the sock lengthwise along this joint.
We get it like this 
Barbie dolls and other madams are 1/6 format, girls are slender and the width of an adult sock will be large.
Therefore, we are looking at how much we should reduce the width. But DON'T FORGET that we need to leave a margin for hemming the edges of about 2-3 mm on each side. 
I ended up with such a surplus 
To cut out the holes for the armhole, we need to fold our rag correctly.
My method was obtained through various trials and errors, I immediately show you the correct option!
Fold it in half with the wrong side inward, hold the fold tightly, bend both parts in different directions so that the edge protrudes 2-3 mm from the fold of both sides.
look at the photo. That is, we have such a small accordion.
We apply our accordion to the doll to outline the length of the armhole. 
We cut out according to the planned distance. The armhole should not be deep at all, but our doll is small. 
We try it on the doll, everything is OK!
Don’t forget to make a bevel on the shoulder; if you don’t do it, the shoulder will stick out unsightly. We make a small bevel of 2 mm, this is enough 
Now we need to cut out the sleeves. Again we place the doll on the sock. First I looked at how both sleeves would go on mine. On the side where I placed the doll, both sleeves are exactly right.
We make a small incision in the shoulder area. this is our mark. Don’t forget about the allowance for the hem of the bottom and the seam of the piping. I do it with a small margin. You can always cut off the excess, but if the length is not enough, then that’s it, it’s gone... 
Now you need to outline the width of the sleeve. Again, do not forget about the increase in seam and freedom of fit 
Cut a straight line slightly diagonally 
Cut out the second sleeve 
Well, we need to make an okat on the sleeves. Of course, they can sew without an edge, but the fit suffers as a result. but we need to get beauty! Therefore, we will do the okat!
For dolls, when sewing from socks, it is too correct; according to all formulas, we don’t need an okat. We simply cut off 3-4 mm along the top edge, slightly rounding it.
Let's look at the photo of how I do it and repeat. 
Well, what we got 
I don’t cut out the neckline, I wrote above why.
As you may have noticed, the cutting is slightly different, because the dolls are slimmer. We get a cut along the elastic line. For play dolls for children, it is better to make the back completely hinged. This applies to small children; for older girls and adult doll lovers, it is better to make a small cut on the top of the back for ease of dressing, and sew it up at the bottom. Then from the front the doll will look like a real stylish girl in a beautiful sweater.
I’ll say right away that it was for Barbie that I sewed for the first time, but from the experience of sewing for other formats, I came to the conclusion that this would be the most advantageous option.
First you need to slightly cut the thread that sews the elastic to the wrong side. You don’t have to cut it, just stretch it a little and it will open up. The main thing is not to overdo it, literally 2 mm. 
We connect the halves and sew one layer with a back seam using a needle, then without breaking the thread, carefully tucking the edges inward, we continue to sew with a regular seam very finely. This point is very important here: try to sew very finely and carefully!!! If you don't sew it carefully, the small elastic bands that are in the elastic of the sock will come out of the seam after two or three tries on the blouse!!! 
And this is how it should look on the front side 
We sew the seam to the place where you expect the cut to end. And you stitch it 
I'll make a small digression. There may be differences depending on the clasp. I prefer to sew on micro Velcro or a hinged loop and a micro button, you can use a large bead or a small bead, whoever has what in their arsenal. If you have micro buttons, then you need to sew it a little differently. I have few such buttons in stock; I use them in other models where another fastener cannot be made.
In order to make a wrap for the buttons, you must first sew the hem of the shelves, then make a wrap, pin it above the elastic with a pin. Trim off the excess elastic, but so that there is a reserve left to sew the elastic. Then we sew it together as I described and showed above.
Now I will show you how to make a stand-up collar from the heel or toe of a sock. I wanted a collar the same color as the elastic waistband. The toe was perfect for this purpose. Since the neckline is quite small, we need a small strip of fabric.
I cut off the seam of the sock, this is how the toe looks before cutting and the already cut strip 
And then we repeat almost the same thing as I showed and described for a blouse with a kitten and striped sleeves 
And here is our blouse, or rather sweater 
I decided to make the clasp with a hinged loop and a micro button. Hanging loops can be made in different ways. I won’t describe them; there is a lot of information on the Internet. 
Well, these are the MKs I wanted to show you.
I will be ready to answer questions that may arise.
