Crafting Baymax: A Sock-Based Guide To Making Healthcare Companion

Baymax, the adorable robot from Disney's Big Hero 6, has captured the hearts of many with his clumsy movements, charming personality, and balloon-like build. If you're a fan of this huggable character, why not try making your own Baymax at home using just a pair of socks and some simple materials? In this introduction, we will explore the process of creating a Baymax plushie, either through sewing or no-sew methods, to bring this beloved character to life in your own unique way.

Sewing the sock

Firstly, you will need to download and print the Sock Baymax template. You can then trace this onto your sock. Remember to pre-wash your sock before sewing.

Turn your white ankle sock inside out, so that the right sides are facing inwards. Align, iron, and pin the sock. You can then trace the printed template onto the sock. Adjust the size of the template by hand-sketching if your sock is a different size. The red dash line on the body (the bottom left) is not the boundary line—the sides should extend until the elastic band of the sock. The dashed line for the head (the small round part at the bottom right) is not a boundary either—it is the folding line of the heel on the sock. Refer to the pictures for a clearer understanding.

Sew the sock according to the drawn line, except for the head. Don’t sew on the folded edge, i.e. the sides of the socks. Stretch the sock a little during machine sewing—this will give a better pull and stretch for stuffing.

Cut the pieces out with at least a 1/4″ seam allowance. Be extra careful when clipping the space between the fingers, clip as close as 1/16″ and do not accidentally cut the sewing thread.

Turn all the pieces right side out. You will need some help from a pair of blunt-point tweezers when turning the little fingers out. Set all pieces aside.

Hand-stitch the raw edge of the headpiece with running stitches. Pull the thread to gather the edge to form a cup shape.

Stuff the headpiece with poly-fill stuffing until it is full and firm. Pull the thread and push in the raw edge to close the opening. Make a secured knot. You may want to go around again with another round of stitches in the same place as security stitches to prevent the thread from breaking or tearing in the future. Press the head and make it flatter if it is too round—Baymax's head is oval-shaped, not round.

Mark the eyes' position on the Baymax head—they should be about 5/16″ apart. Sew the small domed button eyes onto the two ends of the line and sew a black line between them with black embroidery floss.

Stuff the body with poly-fill stuffing. Focus on Baymax's tummy, as he has a pear-shaped body with a big tummy. Massage and roll the body with your hand until you are satisfied with the amount of filling and shaping. Gather and sew to close the opening. Massage and roll the body again with both hands until it resembles Baymax’s body shape.

Stuff the arms with poly-fill stuffing. Start with the little tiny fingers, roll a small amount of poly-fill into tiny balls, and insert them into each of the fingers respectively until all the fingers are filled up. Stuff the rest of the arms with poly-fill. Gather and sew to close the opening of both arms.

Stuff both legs but do not sew to close the opening. Mark the bottom of the body with two oblong circles, each 1 1/2″ to the side and 1″ to the front, with both oblong circles touching at the centre of the bottom body.

Stitch the legs to the body of the Sock Baymax along the drawn lines.

As everyone might stuff and mark the Sock Baymax a little differently, you may need to do adjustment stitches if the legs don’t look like Baymax's. Adjustment stitches simply mean that you sew another round of stitches just outside the primary sewing line, depending on how much you want to adjust the position.

Pin and sew the head and arms onto the body. You may need to shape the arms before stitching so that they can fit close to the sides of the body.

Cut a small piece of white felt into a 1/2″ circle. Pin it onto the left chest and sew a “pulse” symbol to attach it to the body. This is a "program card slot" on Baymax’s chest.

Upon completion, spray Sock Baymax with water to erase all the blue markings. Set it aside until it is dry.

Preparing the stuffing

To prepare the stuffing for your Baymax, you will need a white sock, a bouncy ball, some string or twine, and a glue gun. You will also need some stuffing—this could be poly-fill stuffing material or any other type of stuffing you prefer.

Firstly, take your white sock and place the bouncy ball into the toe. Pinch the sock just underneath the ball and use your string to cinch it tight, then tie it securely. Next, you can begin to stuff Baymax's body. Remember to make the top of the body smaller and the bottom larger, to replicate Baymax's distinctive pear shape. Keep stuffing until you are happy with the amount of filling and the overall shape.

Tie off the sock before you reach the ribbing, leaving about 1.5 inches of sock after the tie. Cut off the remaining sock. Now, snip up the ribbing to create two stubby legs. Add a small amount of stuffing to each leg and use your glue gun to seal the ends.

Finally, cut off the very top of the sock and then cut the remainder in half to create Baymax's arms. Again, add a little stuffing to each arm and glue the ends closed.

Cutting the sock

To make Baymax out of socks, you will need an adult-sized white sock, a bouncy ball, black permanent marker, stuffing, some string or twine, and a glue gun. Here is a detailed, step-by-step guide to cutting the sock:

Firstly, grab your sock and place the bouncy ball in the toe. Pinch the sock underneath the ball and use a piece of string to cinch it tight, then tie it securely. Next, you will want to start stuffing the sock, making Baymax's body smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, just like the real Baymax. When you are happy with the amount of stuffing, tie off the sock before you get to the ribbing. Leave about 1 1/2 inches of space after the tie and then cut off the remaining part of the sock.

Now, snip up the ribbing to split it in half—these will be Baymax's stubby legs. Add a small amount of stuffing to each leg and use the glue gun to seal the ends. Cut off the very top of the sock and then cut the remainder in half—these will be Baymax's arms. As before, add a little stuffing to each arm and glue the ends closed. Finally, glue the arms onto the body, adding a dot of glue to Baymax's hands to secure them to his sides.

Gluing the ends

Now, cut the very top of the sock. Be sure to cut off the elastic band at the top of the sock. This will make it easier to glue the ends of the arms closed.

Next, cut the remainder of the sock in half. These will be Baymax’s arms. Be sure to cut through the middle of the sock, creating two equal halves.

Add a little stuffing to each arm. You can use poly-fill or any other type of soft filling. Once the arms are stuffed, use your hot glue gun to glue the open ends of the arms closed. Be careful not to burn yourself with the hot glue. Also, glue the top and bottom ends of the arms closed.

Now, hot glue the arms onto the body of Baymax. Place a dot of glue where his hands should be, securing them to his sides. This will prevent the arms from popping up.

Drawing the eyes

To draw the eyes of your sock Baymax, you will need a black permanent marker or black embroidery floss.

If you are using a black permanent marker, simply draw on the eyes. You can make them as big or as small as you like, but be sure to position them in the centre of Baymax's head, about 5/16" apart.

If you are using embroidery floss, you will need to mark the eye positions on the sock Baymax's head first. They should be about 5/16" apart. Then, sew on small domed button eyes at each end of the line and sew a black line between them with the black embroidery floss.

Frequently asked questions