As a single mom of 3 under the age of 3 I was always looking to save money by figuring out how to make those neat pricey things that everyone has gotta have! I LOVE baby legs, but with 7.5 month old twin girls at $12-$15 a pair it adds up fast. So I came up with a tutorial to share on my blog for free with other moms just like me.
This is a quick inexpensive project that anyone can do! The socks in the tutorial below were $1 at Walmart, but Target & the dollar store are great places to get them as well. I have found them ranging from $1-$4 depending on length & where you get them. These are harder to get between Easter & back to school shopping (late spring & summer months) because its just to warm so most people don’t want to buy socks!!! Here is a picture of my identical twin girls (7 months at the time) in their matching ones of course. They are a GREAT alternative to tights, making diaper changes much easier. They are warmer & much more durable & can also double as arm warmers to give a warm layered look to your favorite t-shirts for girls & boys of all ages.
Supplies…
Womens tube/knee socks (6m-6yr) or Womens crew socks (0-18m) Girls knee socks also work GREAT.
Sewing machine or needle & thread
Scissors
Pins
STEP 1: First cut the socks into sections as pictured below. You will toss the heel & toe scraps, but keep the bottom of the foot. Note: for this tutorial I am working with crew socks, but the process is the same as with tube socks.
STEP 2: Take the section remaining from the foot & you want to fold it inside of itself as pictured below. You should have the nice side of the sock on the outside & inside with a fold on one end & both raw edges on the other.
STEP 3: Stick the long section of the sock inside your newly created tube. This would give you 3 raw edges on the side we are going to sew, the other side will have the folded edge & the finished edge that was originally the top of the sock. If you have a pattern such as stripes or argyle as I used you may try to get them to line up. Once you are happy with the positioning pin together. Make sure to pin just 3 layers, not all 6 or you won’t have a hole to stick your little ones leg through when you are finished.
STEP 4: Time to Sew! Set the stitch length on your sewing machine to 4 (longest stitch), this will allow the most stretch. If the long straight stitch just doesn’t stretch enough for you can also us a narrow zig zag stitch… width at 2 & length at 3. You want to stretch the pinned side over the arm of your sewing machine & sew a straight stitch all the way around. If you can’t get it to stretch over then you can use what ever method you use to sew circles normally, or you can simply stitch it together with a needle & thread the old fashion way.
STEP 5 (OPTIONAL): Your finished seam should look similar to this. For a cleaner more professional look you can use pinking sheers, a zigzag stitch, or serge the seam for extra strength & to prevent unraveling.
Then simply fold the trim down (putting the seam inside) & TADA… a baby & toddler leg warmer simply make another one & test them out on the nearest happy child!
If you have any questions, found a mistake OR would like pictures of baby leg & arm warmers YOU made with my tutorial added to the gallery then please email me so I can continue to improve the tutorial.
Don’t forget to check out all my other free tutorials including my lists of hundreds of free tutorials!
160 Responses
Suzanne
This is so awesome! I had some for my first baby that were only $2. They worked great for saving knees. But to buy 2 pair for the twins at $12 is way out of sight. I can’t wait to go get some fun socks and make these. Thanks for sharing!
kelsey
what a great idea! i’m going to make my son a few pairs to put in his stocking (lol) and for my mommy friends for christmas this year.
Elisa
Ty for this web page, I just bought a pair of Bum Genius Baby Legs for $12/pair for my little girl and my mom found this sight. I just made 5 pairs in under 20 minutes using my old socks for practice and some my mom bought @ Target for $1/pair, they turned out cute. I like the the longer socks better, I just wish I could find more socks four less than $3/pair. I am having a hard time finding cheap cute socks! I am constantly looking in the sock departments now! I love the baby legs and this is soo much cheaper!!
Star
Love the tutorial! Having trouble locating socks. When you say crew socks do you mean even the athletic type crew with ribbing will work for infants to 6mos? Or should I look for some without ribbing?
Thanks again!!
Kymy
Star ~ right now is one of the best times, places like target & walmart have lots. Knee/tube socks are ideal, but plain crew ribbed crew socks still work, just not as cute! You can also find them on places like ebay & etsy.
gen
BEST THING EVER!
Amy
Love babylegs! My (11 month) daughter has 4 pairs, and I just bought her 5 more for x-mas because I LOVE them. I have a sewing machine (still in the box from last year’s christmas), and I never thought to make my own!! I think that this will make an excellent first project, and will be great incentive to actually use that Singer! Thank you, thank you, thank you… I am looking forward to saving money and tapping into my crafty side.
Sandy
THANK YOU SO MUCH! I was thinking it was so much harder to make leg warmers but you made it SO easy. I just finished my first pair and they didn’t turn out to bad (just a little big)
Chontae
THANK YOU so much!!!
I’m going to make these this weekend with some of my socks that I don’t wear… if they turn out… off to the store!
Thank you!!!
Martina
I just found a 3 pack at AJ Wright for $2.99 in case anyone is still wondering where to get the deals. I found a cute grey argyle, grey polka dot and plain grey 3 pack that will be gender neutral (I’m all about saving money and in case I have a girl next time I want to be able to stash them back for her!)
Tomi Ann Hill
This is wonderful, thank you so much! I can’t wait to try this!
Candace
These are so dang cute! I have a couple pairs of baby legs my daughter got for christmas and I wanted more now that she is crawling. I’m going out right now to see if I can find some cheap socks. Thanks so much!!! Hey do by chance know how to make the crochet head bands that everyone is trying to sell? I love those! Email me if you don’t which ones I am talking about.
Frances
Awesome. I think that I might have to try and make these. Thank you for sharing!!1
CATHY
Great idea, keep them coming. It was so easy, saves money and keeps the baby’s legs warm plus you can buy the tops and make the leg warmers to match and have a darling outfit.
adrienne momoftwinboys
You are awesome!!! I was looking at warmers online for 12 bucks a pop,what a great thing to share with other mothers who don’t want to break the bank buying baby stuff they grow out of in weeks anyway!! And how silly I didn’t just think to make these myself…sometimes you just need someone else to be creative We love you!!
angela
omG! this aRe aWesomE, almoSt spEnd 40 buCks for 3 causE yeaH 12 a paIr bu tDonT forGet shippIng!!!!…u aRe sO cReativE!!!! ThanK u …. buT i ThinK my hUsbie wIll be mOre thAn thankfUl fOr noT breAkinG the banK….:) lol
Jennyb
Thank you so much for the tutorial! For anyone still looking for cheap socks, Target has a ton of really cute argyle and stripe patterns on clearance right now – I think I paid $5 for packs of three. I’m still in love with the flame pattern on the Babylegs, so if anyone sees knee socks with flames, let me know!
Cade'sMommy
Thank you SO much for posting this tutorial!! I have a 10 week old boy and I love how leg warmers really spice up onesies to make the sweetest little outfits!
I couldn’t fathom spending $$$ on Baby Legs to match all of his tops and am so happy to have found your post.
I just made my first pair practicing w/ a ribbed navy pair of my hubby’s socks, and they are too cute! I cant wait to shop for cute socks at Target and Walmart!
Andrea Rake
I had trouble getting the regular socks to fit right. THe band end (foot part of the sock was a little loose and liked to fall down her legs.) Next time I’ll try it with the leg part of two pairs of socks and sew them together so there is a cuff on both ends. This would still be half the price or more. THanks for the great idea! I love it!
alison
hi! I love this tutorial and have made some for some friends!
This morning, I followed the tutorial, but made a slight adjustment. I used an old tube sock from old Navy, and instead of cutting all the way across at the heel, I cut a triangle out of the heel portion, leaving a margin for sewing. Then I simply stitched the two edges of the fabric together. (I don’t know if I am explaining this well) Anyway, if you do it this way, then only one side of the leg warmer has a seam line.
Patty
Wow… I am sooo excited to find this page… I am going to try some tomorrow!!!
betsy
I am going to make my daughter (11 weeks) a pair of easter ones tomorrow I found a cute pair of easter socks @ the $ store. Thanks so much for this I love them.
carmel renehan
What a brilliant idea! Thank you
Natasha
Thank you so much! I made my first pair a minute ago, and in the process of making my second one. Can’t wait to put them on my girl!
Lydia Persson
Hey, thanks for this link, they are really awesome, have just made a pair and have a small suggestion.
when doing the cuff I made it skinnier (not shorter) so it hugs the ankle a bit more.
Lydia Persson
should introduce myself. I’m Lydia from New Zealand, mother to an 8mth old girl, Brylie. I love sewing and making things.
Brittanie
Wow this is so great! I will be making my own from now on! Thanks so much for this tutorial!
jennifre'
HEY THERE! this is too funny I have been doing this as well ( I have 3 girls under 6).. & I even took it further for crawling- I found it cool to just cut the toes.. ( no sewing required) and flipping the “heel” part to the kneecap..
Im so addicted.. & love them!!
congrats!
great minds think alike- tee hee
🙂
j
Sarah-Fay
what a great idea…. i thought of it but dont have a sewing machine so i went and spent $10 on each set… cuz i have twins too!!! but ohh what a great idea… THANKS
Louise
Such a good idea, thanks for putting your great & easy to follow directions on the Internet. Have just made two pairs over here in Australia!
Nicole
thanks so much for this tutorial that is so clear and thorough. I have made two pairs of these so far and it was super easy! I might make some more for my babes or for expectant friends. I blogged pics of how mine turned out on my website as well. Thanks again!
Hannah
I’m so excited to try this out. Someone gave me a pair for my baby shower, but one pair just isn’t enough. Plus I want some more neutral ones for practical purposes.Thanks!
Carolyn
I am a newbie at cloth diapering and when I started looking into it more, I found babylegs and thought “How adorable but how expensive!”. Somehow I stumbled upon your site when googling making cloth diapers and decided to try to sew some by hand using my old socks (I don’t know how to use a sewing machine). I was amazed at how beautiful they turned out! Knee socks are flooding the stores right now, so I am anxious to find some cheap ones for my 9 mo daughter now and crew socks for my little one due in December. THANK YOU!!!!
Stephanie
I was reading through the comments to find someone who did not use a sewing machine…I don’t know how to use one and have only ever sewed very little…may be a button or something. What kind of stitch did you use? I read an overstitch is good for raw edges. Do I also have to use elastic thread?
Kymy
Stephanie I got & replied to your email, good luck! Let me know how they turn out 🙂
Amelie
http://amelieslog.blogspot.com/2009/08/leg-warmers-and-pixie-hat.html
i had a go! i love love them!!
xx
beeinthebalm
i did something like this years ago to keep my dog from chewing a bandage on his leg but completely forgot about this, thank you so much!
Carrie
Thank you for the tut! I made these for my daughter and it has saved me a TON of money. The snow starts in early October here but she LOVES to wear her dresses. Now I don’t feel so bad for letting her!
Jodi
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!! Money is so tight that I am so grateful that you shared your info!!!
selena
Thank you so much. Im not even an actual sewer and I did these all on my own! What a great thing! Use holiday socks for Christmas, they turn out adorable!
thelma
What a Great tutorial. I never though of using socks for makie leg warmers.
Keep up the great work!
Looking forward to making some for my grandchildren.
Thelma
mommysteffen
Just found this… HOW FUN!
Alyssa
A really great place to find awesome socks is at Gordman’s. They have knee socks in almost a milliion different patterns for 3$ a pair and cute crew socks for 2$ a pair. I am in love with their socks!
Angela Neil
GREAT tute! I featured it on my blog and posted a link. Thank you so much for sharing!
Marjorie
That was so easy! I think even I can do it! Thanks!
Jaime
A soon-to be mommy looking for things to do while I’m in the ‘too early to do much’ stage thanks you for this awesome tutorial!
amanda
I just made two pairs of these. Awesome tutorial — thanks, mama!
Rose
Great project, made 3 pair for my twins last night. Thanks!
Here’s 2 of them:
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e49/rosecurry/babies243.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e49/rosecurry/babies245.jpg
Jen
Thanks for this! always looking for something cute to make!
Abby
Thanks! I was looking for a good pattern and these are perfect! I can’t wait to put them on our baby girl when she arrives in a few weeks. This is only my second sewing project but it was so easy and my husband said they look professional. (He lies of course, but it made me feel good!) Thanks again!
Jessica
Love this! Tried it out about a month ago with some Hello Kitty womens knee socks I got on sale at Marshalls. Not bad for my first try (I’m a newbie sewer). Waited patiently for the knee socks to go on sale at Target or the leftover Valentine’s day ones. Just hit the Jackpot at Target, sold in 3 packs on sale for $3.49 in cute colors. (I bought 4 sets) Some sets had dark solid colors, I just kept those for myself. Will work on this project tonight and hope to get some photos up soon.
Thank you sooooo much!
francesca
Thank you so much for posting this! I have three girls three and under. I have been wanting some of these so bad but it would add up too fast and I just coulndn’t justify spending over $50 dollars on one days worth of leg wear. Your awesome!