DIY Toebeanies//Paw Pad Socks

Hi all! This is going to teach you how to make your own toebeanies/paw pad socks (if you don't know what they are, here is their website: https://toebeanies.com )

Now, I was looking at their socks and I'm not gonna lie, they are VERY expensive. They go for about 50 dollars a pair, plus since they are all handmade, they're often all sold out and managing to buy some is very difficult.

I really wanted to give some to a friend of mine, but figured... why not make my own?! So here we are...

Side note, this is hand sewn and not using a sewing machine. I'm not entirely sure if a machine would be easier, but if you try it and it IS, please let me know!!

- socks of your choosing (I'm using thigh highs, so the instructions will be centered around those)

- fabric in a color of your choosing (you won't need very much at all)

- embroidery thread that matches your fabric

- stuffing (optional)

For a reference on how I wanted my pads to look, I went on the toebeanies website and found just their puppy beans. I used that to sketch out my pads on my fabric with pencil. I used felt, so it was a bit difficult getting a clean line while cutting the pads out, but I managed by going very very slowly.

Of course, you don't need to use puppy beans as your reference. Toebeanies also has kitten beans, or you could just cut your own shapes! Have fun with it!

After cutting my pads out of the felt, I laid them down on the bottom of the sock. I had mine positioned a little closer to the toe, similar to the website's.

It's completely optional, but if you'd like you can pin your pads into place if you're afraid to shift them around. I didn't only because it was a very small and difficult area to sew on and I didn't want more interference.

This was definitely the trickiest part of the whole process. Like I said in the intro, I was using thigh high socks that were more synthetic-y than cotton-y, so there was no way for me to shove my hand inside AND have room to pull the needle through. I ended up shoving an old glasses case inside and down to the toe, since it was about the width of the sock itself. That allowed me to do a simple backstitch and have leverage to come back out of the top of the felt without having to reach inside and pull the needle and thread through.

In simpler terms: I put the needle in where I wanted and poked it until it hit the glasses case. I shifted the needle inside the sock forward until it poked out a new hole farther down. Sorry if this explanation isn't very good, I'm sure there is an easier way to do this!!

Side note, embroidery thread comes in 6 strands together. I separated it in half and used 3 strands for sewing the paws on, but in hindsight, 2 may have been better so the sewing could be more inconspicuious.

Make sure to not sew the whole thing closed if you want your pads stuffed!!

This step is completely optional, but I chose to do it to make my paw pads more dimensional and look more like the toebeanies I was trying to replicate.

You should have left about half an inch of unsewn fabric, and I like to cut my stuffing** into SUPER tiny pieces to make sure it fits. Since my fingers are too large to push the stuffing in, I use a small length of wire to make sure it's all in place.

Once you have your pads stuffed to your liking, just go ahead and sew them closed and tie them off!!

** if you don't or can't get stuffing, I took an old pillow and cut it open to take the stuffing from there.

Wear your homemade paw pad socks proudly! You're adorable!

I wouldn't recommend wearing them with shoes for too long just in case. They are mostly for loungewear or dress up scenes with your partner.