I love a sweet Christmas gnome. You know the Scandinavian gnomes that come out at Christmas. There is nothing better than a cute little nose peeking out from a long full beard and a big bold hat that adds a touch of whimsy. I think that they go beautifully with farmhouse decor, especially when they are clothed in buffalo check! This year I decided to make some DIY Christmas gnomes of my own and knew that I had to share the process with you. So, if you want to know how to make a gnome, just keep reading!
Want to use your Cricut? You can also try our gnome SVG file!
Supplies Needed for a DIY Scandinavian Christmas Gnome:
- A foam cone of any size
- Felt fabric
- Flannel fabric
- Faux fur
- Nylons
- A bit of stuffing
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
How to Make DIY Christmas Gnomes
Step 1: Create the Gnome’s Body
First, roll the felt around your cone, pulling it tightly as you go and be sure to cover it completely and overlap a little.
Add a generous bead of glue along one side of the seam where the felt overlaps. Press and hold until glue sets.
Once your glue is secure, cut off excess felt along the bottom, keeping it as close to the edge as you can.
You will also need to cut off excess at the top. This won’t show so you don’t have to keep it quite as neat and now our little Christmas gnome is dressed.
Step 2: Give Your Gnome Some Hair and a Nose
Next, we are going to cut out the beard and mustache that makes up so much of his cute little face. Find where you want it to start on your cone, a little more than ⅔ of the way up is a good spot. Measure from there to 1”-2” beyond the bottom edge of the cone. You are going to cut a football shape that is flat along one end. The mustache is roughly the same shape, a little less than half of your length, a bit wider, and with a pie-shaped wedge cut out of the bottom.
Then hot glue the beard in place on your Christmas gnome but leave the mustache as we will do that in a few steps.
For his nose, we just need a bit of nylon. So an old pair works fine but if you don’t have any (I couldn’t find a single pair in my drawer) you can grab a pair of cheap knee highs. Cut off a 3” piece of the toe and add a bit of fill, twist the end giving it a round shape. Add or take away filling until it is the size and shape you like.
Hot glue the twist of nylon closed then add hot glue above the beard and press your nose into place. When your nose is in place you can add your mustache snugly above it, arranging it on either side.
Step 3: Give Your Gnome a Christmas Hat
The last thing to be done is to add a big snuggly hat. To do this I cut a piece of flannel into a rectangle, how big yours is will depend on the size of your foam cone. Mine was a 10” cone so I cut my fabric to 10” by 22”. Lay your fabric lengthwise and fold each side over towards the middle so that one side just overlaps the other. Glue the overlapping pieces together to make a tidy seam. Leave 4” of one end unglued to size the hat to your gnomes head. Fold the other end into a point to create the tip of the hat, glue securely.
Slip the hat over your gnomes head, right down to his nose. Then pull the fabric seam in back tightly until it fits snug and glue in place. Finally, arrange the hat down his back and around so the tip ends in front. Add glue here and there to keep it in place and to hide your seams. If you are really ambitious, you can sew your hat before placing it on instead of using hot glue.
Your Christmas gnome is now complete and ready to put on display in your home! Now that you know how to make a gnome, you can add one to every room of your home this holiday season.
If you love Scandinavian gnomes, this is one craft project you really must try. I love how this little guy turned out and can’t wait to add him to my Christmas decor. Is it time to put that out yet?? Gather your supplies and make your own DIY Christmas gnomes this holiday season.
So, do you love making Scandinavian gnomes and want more ideas? Try the links below!
- Red Truck with Christmas Tree Ornament
- Farmhouse Christmas Tree with Plaid Ornaments
- Pallet Christmas Tree
- Country Christmas Ornaments
- Make a Gnome from a Sock
Want to print the instructions for this DIY gnome? Just use the printable card below!
Equipment
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Supplies
- A foam cone of any size
- Felt fabric
- Flannel fabric
- Faux fur
- Nylons
- A bit of stuffing
Instructions
- First, roll the felt around your cone, pulling it tightly as you go and be sure to cover it completely and overlap a little.
- Add a generous bead of glue along one side of the seam where the felt overlaps. Press and hold until glue sets.
- Once your glue is secure cut off excess felt along the bottom keeping it as close to the edge as you can.
- You will also need to cut off excess at the top. This won’t show so you don’t have to keep it quite as neat and now our little Christmas gnome is dressed.
- Next, we are going to cut out the beard and mustache that makes up so much of his cute little face. Find where you want it to start on your cone, a little more than ⅔ of the way up is a good spot. Measure from there to 1”-2” beyond the bottom edge of the cone. You are going to cut a football shape that is flat along one end. The mustache is roughly the same shape, a little less than half of your length, a bit wider, and with a pie-shaped wedge cut out of the bottom.
- Then hot glue the beard in place on your Christmas gnome but leave the mustache as we will do that in a few steps.
- For his nose, we just need a bit of nylon. So an old pair works fine but if you don’t have any (I couldn’t find a single pair in my draweyou can grab a pair of cheap knee highs. Cut off a 3” piece of the toe and add a bit of fill, twist the end giving it a round shape. Add or take away filling until it is the size and shape you like.
- Hot glue the twist of nylon closed then add hot glue above the beard and press your nose into place. When your nose is in place you can add your mustache snugly above it, arranging it on either side.
- The last thing to be done is to add a big snuggly hat. To do this I cut a piece of flannel into a rectangle, how big yours is will depend on the size of your foam cone. Mine was a 10” cone so I cut my fabric to 10” by 22”. Lay your fabric lengthwise and fold each side over towards the middle so that one side just overlaps the other. Glue the overlapping pieces together to make a tidy seam. Leave 4” of one end unglued to size the hat to your gnomes head. Fold the other end into a point to create the tip of the hat, glue securely.
- Slip the hat over your gnomes head, right down to his nose. Then pull the fabric seam in back tightly until it fits snug and glue in place. Finally, arrange the hat down his back and around so the tip ends in front. Add glue here and there to keep it in place and to hide your seams. If you are really ambitious, you can sew your hat before placing it on instead of using hot glue.
This gnome is so cute! Last Christmas we made a knitted gnome very similar to this one and I’m thinking this cute little guy would make a nice addition to my potential gnome collection.
Thanks very much for the idea.
Very, very cute! I love some plaid added to my Christmas decor! Thank you for sharing at Celebrate It!
So cute Angie, I have seen a lot of gnomes this year, but yours is the cutest!!
I love gnomes and this one is darling. I have a question, does the mustache go above or the nose? I may have misunderstood the directions. Thanks
Yep above the nose!
I was wondering about that myself. A mustache grows naturally UNDERNEATH the nose…but I suppose it’s all about what you personally find looks the best. Either way your gnome is adorable. Merry Christmas
I was wondering about that as well… a mustache grows naturally UNDERNEATH the nose, but I suppose it’s all about what you personally find looks the best. I think your gnome is absolutely adorable either way. Merry Christmas
I was wondering about that myself. A mustache grows naturally UNDERNEATH the nose…but I suppose it’s all about what you personally find looks the best. Either way your gnome is adorable. Merry Christmas
I’ve been loving the gnome trend for a couple of years and your DIY gnome is adorable! I tried making my own several years ago, but they didn’t turn out this cute! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday party. I’ll be including your gnome in my Party Features next week. Have a great weekend!
Very cool idea!!