One of my all time favorite items of clothing for the Doodles when she could still justifiably be called a baby. (Before the days of hollering from the bathroom “I need a widdle bit of a wiiiipe Mom!!!” As she is at this very moment.) Be back in just a minute.

Ok. Toddler rear end wiped. Movie turned on. Classic Disney today. Fox and the Hound. Where was I? Oh yes, baby-days. And Baby-Legs. These cute little elasticized leggings were life savers when using cloth diapers because they covered the areas shorted by the bulkier diapers. Plus they are just so doggone cute.

Doodles Weight Lifting with Baby-Legs for her arms

Doodles wearing a summer skirt in fall with Baby-Legs underneath

Thanks to Baby-Legs I was able to get by with a lot fewer seasonal specific items of clothing and allow her summer stuff to be worn until it was out-grown. Now that she’s turned into a really tall, lanky toddler the baby legs are woefully short and tight. They still work for her arms but no more for her legs. I don’t have the money right now to buy her nice new leggings and have not been able to find any used. I remembered reading a while back that some creative Mommies were making their infants baby-legs using Knee Socks purchased on sale. The idea kept rattling around in the back of my mind and turned into a full forced clanging when I saw some “above the knee” socks on sale at Target last week. At $1 and $2 per pair that is a wardrobe investment I could afford!

The one rather large…ok…HUGE obstacle is that I am sewing-challenged. Sort of like being dyslexic with reading only applied to sewing. To compound my natural lack of ability in that area add in the fact that I do not own a sewing machine. Still. I convinced myself I could do it. If women could sew whole out-fits in times past with a needle and thread surely I could do a little sock manipulation! For once I was right!

Just in-case there are any other crafty-special-needs folks out there I’m gonna post what I did step by step. The intuitively clever among you with oodles of know how, experience and sewing machines can mosey on over to some inspiring sewing blog somewhere.  The moral of this story is if I can do it Anybody can do it.

First of I started with a pile of socks. I got two pairs of striped socks for $1 a pair and the rest in solid colors for $2 a pair.

Pile of Women's Knee socks from sale at Target

Insert me taking a break from the blog to use my stick blender to make “ice cream” for the Doodles (who is under the weather from a cold). CSA Raspberries and strawberries with raw milk, fresh aloe, vanilla yogurt and a few scoops of Trader Joe’s Mango Sorbet with a few capsules each of Tummy Tune Up and Colostrum Transfer Factor. It’s delish. (slurp, gulp)

Ok, back to the project.

Select the first pair of socks. I chose the striped ones cuz they were cute and the heels looked like they would be easier to figure out.

Pair of Striped Women's Knee Sock

Turn first sock inside out. Flatten out so you can see the side knit seems at the sides/end of the toe area.

First sock turned inside out

At this point Commence search for fabric scissors.

Give up and search for ANY scissors veggie/kitchen ones included.

Give up. Demand an explanation for missing scissors from fellow house-dwellers.

Note slightly shifting eyes and shuffling feet and mentally resign oneself to the worst. One long explanation later of how no scissors could be found when packing for recent WAPF Conference business trip and how we would really need sissors for the booth and how they were probably packed and then brought back to the warehouse instead of OUR house give up on the idea of using sissors for this project alltogether.

Rummage in kitchen for a knife to use instead. Using sharp knife (or scissors should you be spared conference packing hulligans spiriting them away) carefully cut the very end of the toe area open.

Cutting end of toe area with knife

Fold cut area down neatly to create an even edge.

Folding cut area down to create even edge

Tuck uneven toe areas under to create a rolled hem.

Tucked fabric for rolled hem

Whip stich (or regular stitch if you have a sewing machine!)

Whip stitching rolled hem down

Once the toe area is hemmed move on up to the heel. Fold it flat and stitch long the heel area to create a straight “tube” from the previous foot shaped area.

Folded sock to show heel area.

Folded heel

The handstitched seam on the heel

Repeat all of the above on second sock. Pull right side out and survey the finished product.

Finished Toddler Leg

Finished Toddler Leggings with rolled hems

Then dress the closest available toddler in them to see how they look. Grab camera and document the triumph!

Finished Toddler-legs! Please note the fact that they are being used to extend the life of shorts into winter

Toddler Legs and Boots

I got all of the Toddler Legs made yesterday. One of those things that if I did not get to it right away it would just never get done. They are being put to work immediately and will greatly enhance the Doodles bare-bones wardrobe due to out-growing almost all of her winter clothes from last year. I was negligent this year and forgot to shop the clearances and sales early spring for winter clothes.

Let me know if you have tried this! Just don’t tell me how you did it so much better than I did cuz that’ll just make me feel bad. Stick to telling me how cute and adorable your kids are in their home-made baby-legs, or toddler legs whatever the case may be. =D