There’s nothing more frustrating than socks that keep bunching up in your shoes, making them uncomfortable to wear. In this article, we’ll share a few tips on how to stop socks from bunching up in shoes. Read on to learn more!
Socks are a common wardrobe item for men and women. However, the issue of having bunched-up socks is one that people are not always able to resolve themselves because they don’t know how to fix it. Sometimes, they accept that this is how their socks will always be.
Things You’ll Need
- Socks that fit your feet properly
- A sewing machine, or needle & thread
- Ability to sew a straight line
A Step by Step Guide on How to Stop Socks From Bunching Up in Shoes
Step 1: Measure Your Feet
Your socks need to be the right length, but you also need them to be the correct width. Not comfortable at all! If you wear shoes that are one size too small, buy more oversized sized socks or try going up a shoe size. Socks should never cut off circulation to your feet, nor should they squeeze it out.
If they do not fit properly, it will cause problems down the road, so take the time now and get those measurements taken correctly. They don’t have to be perfect, but those measurements will come in handy if you want custom-made socks from scratch later on.
Step 2: Prepare Your Sewing Machine.
If you do not have a sewing machine, now is the time to invest in one or teach yourself how to sew a straight line on a hand-held needle. Not being able to sew will make this process incredibly difficult and frustrating, so go ahead now and get those skills down before starting this project.
If you already know, take any of your socks, turn them inside out, and set the foot of it along the edge of your sewing machine where that black plastic thingy usually goes (It’s for pushing fabric through.
Take some thread (matching color preferred) and start sewing up the side of the sock about a 1/4-1/2 inch away from where you can see the stitches on the inside (opposite side). Do not sew to the end, and do not stitch in-between those tiny holes (if there are any) that your toes go through. It will make sense once you start this process, I promise.
Step 3: Sewing Tips & Tricks!
You will want to use a basic straight stitch and a zig-zag stitch (every few inches, give or take). How to add a zigzag stitch: Line up your fabric so that it is facing the right side down (so the wrong side is facing you) and instead of pushing the black plastic thingy, leave it back where it was.
Click on the zig-zag stitch tab and place a tick mark where the width is to be set so that it covers about half an inch and leaves your other setting at 0.
Line up your fabric to face the right side down (so the wrong side is facing you) and push that black plastic thingy in. Click on the straight stitch tab and set your stitches per inch to 10 or however many stitches per inch you can fit into 1/4-1/2 inch (remember earlier when we measured how far away from each edge our line of straight stitches was?). Set your stitch length to 1.0.
Just do everything from the zigzag section above except select the zig-zag setting on your sewing machine. Do not forget to set your stitch length to 1.0!
Step 4: Attach the Ankle and Foot Parts of Your Sock.
Turn your sock inside out, and line up the heel part (the section with all those tiny holes) to where you sewed it together at the bottom. Keep in mind that the fabric will stretch as you try to put it onto your shoe, so err on the side of caution and do not sew too close or not close enough—outline where you will sew along this edge.
Do sews about a 1/4-1/2 inch down from this line and start sewing right at one end and stop just before you reach the other end after going around 3 sides making sure leaving an opening for you to stuff your foot into. It’s just big enough that you can wiggle your foot through without feeling like it’s squeezing the life out of you.
Step 5: Attach The Heel Part.
This step is straightforward because all you have to do is pick a fabric piece from one of your socks and place it face-down onto where the fabric from the other sock makes a ‘v.’ The rest should be self-explanatory! About 1/4-1/2 inch or half an inch.
Match up these edges, then set another straight line along this line at about a 1/4-1/2 inch away from the line. Another 1/4-1/2 inch or half an inch (or however deep your straight line is). These steps will help in how to stop socks from bunching up in shoes.
What to Do With Leftover Fabric
If you get lucky and there’s enough fabric leftover after cutting out all of your pieces, you can use these pieces to make other things like bags, towels, square pillows for sitting on the couch, etc.!
If not, then don’t worry because people usually throw away their old socks anyway, so take them outside and cover them in some dirt before putting them into that big black trash bag next to you when you’re doing your laundry!
Does Wearing Socks That Fit Properly Prevent Bunched-Up Socks?
Having correctly fitting socks is one step to preventing bunching up in the shoes. Wearing too small or uncomfortable socks will trigger you to pull them down so they fit better.
This results in bunching up around your ankles and feet due to not wearing the correct size. How often have you washed a pair of socks after just one use? If this happens, consider buying some extremely comfortable but slightly larger socks for comfort every day.
Wearing the wrong sized shoe can also cause socks to bunch up inside your footwear. To prevent scrunches and discomfort, wear shoes that fit well, even with ankle widths. For example, do not wear very tight boots if you’re wearing thick wool winter-time socks.
If you think about it, the extra space in your shoes for air to circulate is better than a bunch of tight fabric around your feet. So instead, find a pair of well-fitting shoes, stand on a piece of paper, and trace around your foot with a pencil. This can help order online or find shoe sizes that fit correctly.
Conclusion
In the end, it is best to use a product with anti-slip properties. This will create a barrier between your foot and the sock that prevents slippage into shoes. The socks in this article on how to stop socks from bunching up in shoes are great because they have silicone on the bottom, which creates friction against smooth surfaces like floors or carpets. Try these out for yourself!
