Valentine’s Day Gnome

Gnomes are everywhere and Valentine’s Day is no exception.

Let’s create a cute little gnome perfect for holiday decorating or gift giving.

I suggest reading the full tutorial before beginning this project.

For this project you will need:

1. 1 pair Men’s size large tube sock (any color you want)

2. 1 pair fuzzy and/or patterned women’s sized sock (example 1 pair of patterned with 1 pair of fuzzy to get different textures when creating the hat)

3. 1 pair of women’s knee-high nylon stockings

4. Poly-fil or stuffing material (old pillow stuffing works great)

5. 4 Small white Pompoms and 1small/medium white foam ball (optional) – This can be used for forming the nose and hands but you can use the filling material if these are not available.

6. Med gauge Wire (cut up old coat hangers work great) or twist bendable wires together to get the desired thickness (optional)

7. Very small elastic bands (use clear but this is not necessary)

8. Glue gun and glue sticks

9. Sharp scissors

10. 1 skein Yarn (any color you want for the hair) I prefer Lion brand Homespun yarn for this but Fun Fur or any other yarn can be used.

11. A cereal box for wrapping the yarn around.

12. Approx. 1 cup small stones or pebbles for weighting down the gnome body ( I do not recommend using rice for this project)

13. Decorations (small fabric hair ties, small/medium hearts, small wooden sign, small fake flowers, fake gemstones, ribbon etc.… the list is endless)

All of these items except the Poly-fil can be bought from the Dollar Tree store, so the cost is minimal.

 Directions:

Start by cutting the top ribbed edge from the men’s large tube sock. Do not discard the piece you cut off, it will be used later if you are making hands and arms.

Fill the cut sock with stones and fill with Poly-fil until desired height/size is reached. Be sure this is filled until the body is firm when squished. Secure with a very small elastic band and set aside.

 Create the nose and hands (hands are optional) by wrapping the foam ball and white pompoms with the women’s knee-high nylon stockings. I like to double or triple wrap mine until they reach your desired skin tone; secure with a very small elastic band and cut off the excess material (approximately ½ inch – 1 inch from the elastic band. If you are not using the foam ball and pom poms you can stuff the nylons with fill to create a round shape, making sure the two hands are approximately the same size. Set pieces aside.

 Using the cereal box wrap yarn around the box approximately 50 times, or more for a fuller beard, and slide from the box, securing one side with a very small elastic band close to the end loops. Trim the other end of the looped yarn with scissors to an even length. It should look like a little mop head. Set beard aside.

 Using the glue gun attach the beard to the body of the gnome approximately 1 ½ - 2 inches from the elastic band on the top of the body piece.

Split the beard yarn in half and use glue gun to attach the nose to the gnome body. Set the body structure aside.

Gather the decorative socks, fill and wire (optional). Using one of the socks decide the shape you want for the hat and cut from the toe section of the sock, leaving the cuff end intact. Use a crescent moon curve to give the hat a traditional gnome hat shape. I used chalk to draw an outline before cutting so you could see what I am doing but this step is not necessary.

 Turn the sock inside out and using glue gun glue the cut edges right sides together to seam. Turn the sock back to the right side facing out and stuff with Poly-fil until firm and 2 -3 inches from the cuff of the sock opening or as tall as you want it to be. At this time, you can insert the wire which should be cut to the length of the filled section of the hat. Insert the wire all the way through the fill to the tip of the hat making sure not to poke through the material. The wire will help with getting the hat to stand up bend into the curved shape you want, but again is completely optional. You can also leave the hat partially filled so it will droop over as seen in the first image.

Once the hat is the size you desire, stretch the cuff end over the gnome head making sure to cover the top of the beard right down to the top of the nose. Be sure the glued seam of the hat is facing to the back side of the body. Glue along the edges to ensure the hat does not move. At this point you can shape the hat, smoothing out any lumps and curving it to the desired shape (if using the wire).

Using the second decorative sock or Fun Fur cut a strip that is long enough to wrap around the head of the gnome and as wide as you want your brim to be, plus a small amount for creating an edge on both sides.  Cutting the sock that I chose directly in half along the fold worked out to the perfect size, but you may need to adjust the size based on the material you are using.

Once you have the strip cut to size glue down the edges using the glue gun to make a uniform and tidy edge all the way along the top and bottom of the strip. This step may not be necessary depending on your material. Using glue gun and starting with the bottom edge of your brim strip, glue the strip around the hat starting at the back of the gnome and wrapping around the head at the bottom of the hat edge. Glue seams together and repeat gluing along the top edge of the brim strip until it is fully attached.

- Optional step if you made the hands and are making arms.

With the top band of the men’s tube sock, you saved when making the body of the gnome, cut in half so you have 2 pieces. Using the glue gun glue the hand pieces to the cuff end making sure the ball (hand) is sitting beyond the end of the cuff. Roll up the material and glue along the seam to secure.

 Lay your gnome down and lift his beard up so the body is exposed. Using the glue gun, glue the cut ends of the arms to the main body under the beard. At this stage you can adjust how long you want the arms to be. Add small fabric hair ties as cuffs or leave them the way they are. It is up to you.

 Stand your gnome back up and if needed trim the beard to the desired length.

Here comes the fun part, DECORATING! This step gives your gnome his personality. You can use a variety of items to help him express his feelings. Add a pompom or dangling heart to the tip of his hat. Give him a rose or sign to hold in his hands. Add ribbons or gemstones. Anything goes! The sky is the limit here.

Please share your creation on The Pastel Blonde Facebook page. Link to page is in the contact section below.

Here is my finished Gnome in all his VALENTINE’S Day glory!

 Here is another example of these adorable gnomes:

For the girl gnome wrap the hair yarn approximately 25 times around the cereal box, make 2 using the same process as used for the beard.

 Disclaimers:

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Content Disclaimer: Content is provided for informative purposes only. All opinions and outcomes provided are from my personal experience and beliefs and do not reflect the actual outcome you may experience.