I sewed a fluffy yarn pom-pom to the ends of my gnomes’ hats. This step is optional, but they are adorable so I hope you buy or make the pom-poms. I used the Clover Pom-Pom Maker to make 2 1/2” pom poms. Before cutting your thread, move some fur out of the way and sew the nose to the beard, about 1 1/2” below the top edge. Decorate nurseries and kids’ rooms with crochet gnomes for a playful and whimsical touch, also as cuddly toys. Again you can do this one of two ways. Both of these ways work just as well because you will be adding a hat on the top of your gnome anyway.

The body still feels soft but has the extra weight that gives him structure so that he’s not floppy and can sit still. I love this idea! Lavender Gnome: You will need this, especially if you are a beginner sewing or you do not have enough time to make the most complicated gnomes here. Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, we LOVE making gnomes. It’s like a fun craft that really can be relaxing and just give me a way to kind of work out the stress. Which I kind of need a lot lately. Just me? Hmmm…But regardless, I have been working on this adorable gnome pattern for a while, making several gnomes to perfect it. Tapestry Needle: A tapestry needle with a large eye is essential for sewing different parts of the gnome together and for weaving in loose ends of yarn.

Pattern Pieces

The Sewn Gnome: Cut two hat shapes from the pattern from felt, then top stitch the two cutouts together and fill the hook with a small amount of polyfill. Gender and Age Variations: Gnomes can be crafted to represent different genders and ages. You can make young gnomes with smaller bodies and shorter beards, or create female gnomes with feminine features and clothing. Now we will work on the body. On your Body pattern, there are placement markings for the legs. Align the placements on the right side of one piece of the body fabric and using a fabric marker, mark those places. Pin each leg on the right side of the fabric, but with the feet pointed up.

Line up the circle base with the bottom of the gnome body piece and pin it in place then sew around the edge of the circle.Because he was just SO EPIC, I made some unique boots just for him. I’ll share that tutorial separately, because it’s a bigger commitment to make boots for gnomes and I’ll get those all out soon.

As you sew your free gnome make sure you are using a ¼” seam allowance, and sew the side seams of the arms and legs, leaving the short sides open, making sure to reinforce your starting and ending stitches. I designed this gnome hats so the red parts are cut from craft felt and the white parts are cut from iron-on vinyl. Be sure you MIRROR your iron-on vinyl before you cut it. And that’s it! Now just hang your wee gnome on your tree or set your chunky gnome under your tree to guard the gifts and protect your family! Gnome sweet gnome!

St Patricks Day Gnomes

Prepare 32 oz. of rice (that’s two big red solo cups worth) and put it into cups or glasses. You can use more rice for a bigger and taller gnome. You may want to freeze your rice first for 4-5 days to kill off any little varmints lying dormant. Faux fur (I used Monogolian-style fur, and it was less expensive to get it as a runner, throw, or blanket, but you can get a smaller amount here)

To make the little basket, I just used a leftover mini-basket from Easter, then tossed some dried sunflowers into it. Use crochet gnomes as props in photoshoots, especially for newborn or children’s photography, adding whimsy to the scenes. If you’re making the wee little hanging ornament type of gnome, use the pattern file called “gnome-hats-wee.” Alternately, if you’re making the chunky standalone type of gnome, use the pattern file called “gnome-hats-chunky.” Basically, the wee size is for gnomes about 2-3″ wide whereas the chunky size is for gnomes about 4-5″ wide.

Mark your measurements with a pen or marker or create a template of your measurements to follow as you cut.