- 1). Run hot water from the faucet and fill a bucket with 1 gallon of water. Add the amount of fabric dye you need to the water according to the instructions on the package and stir it in with a stick. Rinse the pair of socks in hot water to get them soaked and then put them in the bucket. Stir the socks around in the bucket for 15 to 20 minutes to make the the dye covers them evenly.
- 2). Remove the socks from the bucket and rinse them in warm water for 1 minute. Change the water to cool and then to cold after another 2 minutes of rinsing or until the water coming from the socks runs clear. Hand wash the socks with mild soap and squeeze the excess water out of them. Hang them to dry or put them in the dryer for 15 minutes.
- 3). Lay the dyed and dried socks on a ironing table in front of you, with the tops pointing up and toes facing each other. Turn your iron on the high heat setting and let it heat up. Fold the tops of the socks down 2 inches and make a small mark with sewing chalk to map out exactly where you want the small iron-on appliqué to go. You need to make sure the socks turn out as identical as possible.
- 4). Place a pillow case on top of one of the socks where you will be attaching the iron-on appliqué. Press the fully-heated iron onto the pillow case where the sock is and hold it for 8 seconds. Lift the pillow case off of the sock and put the iron-on appliqué on the heated fabric of the sock where you made the mark. Press the iron on the appliqué for 8 seconds. Put it to the side to cool and repeat with the other sock.
- 5). Measure and cut two pieces of lace ribbon to 11 inches long. Sew the two ends together with two or three straight stitches with a needle and thread to create a circle. Unfold the top of the sock and stretch the opening--this is to make sure you don't accidentally make the opening too small to fit your foot. Pin the circle of lace around the outside edge of the opening with straight pins.
- 6). Sew the lace circle to the opening of the sock and keep it stretched with the other hand. Do the same with the other sock. Fold them back down so that the iron-on appliqués are visible on the outsides of the socks and the rough edge of the lace is hidden. Your decorative socks are ready to wear.
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