Frugal Fun Projects - Mending Socks with a Light Bulb

Do you have socks that are perfectly good EXCEPT for that hole in the toe?

Does this happen to your athletic socks and to your trouser socks?

Here's how to do an easy frugal fun project for mending socks using a light bulb.

"Why in the world would you mend a sock with a light bulb," you ask? Well, first the light bulb needs to be round-shaped bulb not one of those curly compact fluorescent bulbs.

The light bulb makes it easier for mending socks without pricking your fingers or sewing the sock together where it shouldn't be together.

As a bonus, the light bulb helps prevent a bulky seam which would be painful on your toes.

Frugal Fun Projects: Mend Socks with Light Bulb Materials and Tools:

Sock with hole in it 
Round-shaped light bulb 
Sewing thread matching your sock 
Needle 
Scissors

The Steps for How to Mend Socks with Light Bulb:

First, let's look at an athletic sock with an uncomfortable hole in the toe:
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-Light-Bulb-athletic-sock
Find round-shaped light bulb to help with the sock mending.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-with-light-bulb
Insert the light bulb into the sock.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-insert-light-bulb
Thread needle with the appropriate color of thread and knot one end of the thread.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-with-light-bulb-needle1
Insert the needle into one side of the hole.

Make sure the knot in the thread does not pull through.

Take another stitch in the same place to anchor the thread.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-first-stitch
Take a small amount of the sock from the opposite side of the hole onto your needle.

Push the needle through the sock close to the anchor stitch.

Be careful that the stitches are not too big.

Taking too much sock material onto the needle creates a big seam over the toe.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-adding-stitches
Pull the needle and thread until snug.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-pulled-thread
Continue adding stitches until the hole is closed.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-needle-and-knot
Secure the thread with a knot and trim.

Your sock is almost good as new!
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-toe-finished
What if you have a hole in another part of the sock?

The light bulb helps there too.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-back-hole1
Follow the steps as above.

Anchor your thread near one end of the hole.

Take small stitches across the hole and pull the needle and thread until snug.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-back-hole-start-mending
Knot the thread and trim.

The hole is not quite invisible, but almost.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-white-sock-back-hole-finished
But, what if the holes are in trouser socks - those thin socks worn with dress slacks?

The steps remain the same, but let's take a look.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-trouser-sock-hole1
Insert the light bulb into the sock.

Thread a needle with a matching thread.

Knot one end of the thread.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-trouser-sock-hole-with-bulb-needle
Anchor the thread at the edge of the hole.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-trouser-sock-hole-with-bulb-anchor-thread
Make small stitches close together to pull the hole closed.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-trouser-sock-hole-with-bulb-small-stitches
Once closed, knot the thread at sock, trim the thread.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-trouser-sock-hole-with-bulb-knot-thread
The sock is almost as good as new.

The mended area appears almost invisible.

Now, this sock can be worn many more times.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-trouser-sock-hole-with-bulb-mend-finish
With the popularity of the compact fluorescent bulbs, you may want to keep a couple of round-shaped bulbs for mending purposes.

Storing them in a plastic bag prevents glass shards from going everywhere in the case of breakage.

This bag with two burned out bulbs resides near my mending kit.
Frugal-Fun-Crafts-Mending-Socks-with-light-bulbs-storing-bulbs
See how easy it is to extend the life of your socks!
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