After making sock monsters a few weeks ago, my 9 year old has been well and truly bitten by the sock transformation bug. Every few days he is looking to eke out time to sew a sock and turn it into something cuddly. I may have to create a security system for our socks soon to keep them safe from his scissors and needles. He and I are also making his Halloween costume. My sewing related stress levels are soaring yet somehow I keep encouraging him. Maybe some day he will be doing all of the sewing repairs in the household.
Most of his monsters have just evolved from the meeting of sock, thread and buttons but then he decided that he wanted to aim for a specific outcome. He wanted to make a Cthulhu. Mr Pict is into Lovecraft (and a board game called Eldritch Horror) and I have painted Cthulhu twice, despite not being a Lovecraft fan, so I guess that sewed the seeds of the Cthulhu plan.
He picked out a black sock with which to construct his Cthulhu and then he found a black glove (also in my sock orphanage) for the tentacled bit of the face. Orange and red buttons became the fiery eyes and he used some black felt for the wings. I think he did a fantastic job. The best praise he received came from his brothers who all declared it to be amazing and to wish they had a sock Cthulhu too. He was beaming from ear to ear.
PS If you like monsters crafted from textiles then you should totally check out the wonderful creations to be found on the CrawCrafts Beastie Blog. Helen’s Beasties are a monstrous marvel and an inspiration to my wee monster crafter.
A Pict in PA 
High five to your 9 yr old! Great job kiddo! I admire his perseverance and love of the craft. Bigger things are yet to be seen! WooT! WooT!
I will pass on your praise to him. It’s so funny to me that he’s gotten into textile crafts without having a single role model in his life. Maybe I will learn something along the way from helping him.
You really can never know when and where inspiration strikes. Its great that he was open minded when you first did the project with his brothers. Maybe he really got the hang of it and has a penchant for detail. Yes, I think you’ll both discover more about fabric, threads and how to’s….a good bonding time for both of you only.
So great that he’s continuing to create with needle and thread. His Cthulhu is well done! And thanks for the link to CrawCrafts Beasties – looks like a wonderful site.
Thank you, Ellie. He’s really applying himself to learning how to sew.
Wow, I’m impressed. Very.
Just saying, they have kids’ sewing classes, too. Any fabric shop (not Joann’s but more likely an independent one such as the one I mentioned in Chestnut Hill, could guide you. And check the library, there are lots of books for kids’ sewing. Lots of fiber sculpture and art exhibits also, around here, if I see anything, I’ll pass it on, but I am sure you can find all kinds of inspiration on the internet. And this doesn’t even begin to get into sewing and designing clothing, remaking thrift store items of all kinds (a great source for fabrics, people give away you wouldn’t believe the interesting pieces, not just clothing but blankets, etc. Well, I could go on and on, I’m very excited about this young man and his enthusiasm for fabric work!
Thanks, Claudia. At the moment he is coming up with all sorts of ideas for monsters he wants to make (Godzilla and King Kong first) but we shall see what direction he goes beyond that. I am planning to take him to the library this weekend to find some kids’ sewing books. I am sure those will help me as well as him! First up though we still need to work on his Halloween costume which is a labour of love and has me using skills I did not know I had – and maybe don’t possess. Ha ha!
I used to like working on my son’s Halloween costumes – it’s one of the two holidays I make any effort for, or did, when he was small. I hope you’ll post the results of your work!
I will do. We usually cobble together costumes either from their dressing up clothes or from thrift store finds. This one will be a mixture of thrift store finds and hand crafting and sewing. All shall be revealed come Halloween.
!!!
Oh woweeeee, look at that Cthulu! The repurposed glove tentacles are an inspired addition, he looks great… I can’t wait to see what the pair of you come up with for Hallowe’en now! Also, a massive THANK YOU from me and the Beasties for the shout-out! If I can help your junior monster-maker out in any way, don’t hesitate to get in touch 😀
He will be thrilled with the praise from an expert beastie maker. That’s very kind of you to offer advice. I may well take you up on that as he’s keen to try some felt sewing to add more elaborate bits and bobs to his creations. First, that Halloween costume though….
Happy to help! I have a book at home called “Crafty Creatures” by Jane Bull, which might help him take the next step… There are templates for some fun felt critters inside, and “how to” pages at the back that will get him threading his own needles and thinking about which stitches to use! There are a couple of “girly” projects in there – it’s always tricky to get a masculine sewing book – but overall it’s not offensively pink. Good luck with the costume! 🎃
We picked up some books from the library and one of them did have templates for creatures. He also found one that’s for making little steampunk figures from felt and findings. I think for now he’s using them as inspiration and I’m drawing his attention to different type of stitches that are demonstrated. We will see what happens next.
It sounds like he’s well on his way! All he has to do now is to stick with it. Good luck 😀
Great idea!!! Too adorable!
Thank you. I will pass on your compliments to my little monster maker.
🙂 🙂 🙂
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