The Christmas season is here! There is nothing I love more about the holidays than crafting. I have found an easy, affordable and sustainable way to make gnome decorations using old socks. These are perfect for your Christmas tree, mantle or even dashboard.
1. Find Some Socks
Search your wardrobe for those old socks you never wear. Once you have a couple, make sure they are clean and free of holes.
2. Find a Filler
I like to use rice as my filler because it is usually on hand and affordable. If you do not have rice, dry bean and lentils work as well.
3. Gather Your Supplies
You are going to need those socks, filler, a pair of scissors, a hot glue gun, buttons (optional), yarn or pompoms, felt and a fur-like fabric.
4. Making the Body of the gnome
Start by trimming your sock at the opening. For an ankle sock, I cut about an inch and a half. If your sock is longer, cut the desired amount. Use a spoon or funnel to fill your sock with your chosen filler. You can make the gnome’s body as big or small as you want. Once full, pinch the top and secure with a piece of yarn. Then bend over the excess fabric and use hot glue to attach that to the body. Then with the fur fabric cut out a little beard for the gnome, making it unique to you. Glue the beard on the body. It should be covering 3/4 of the body, leaving room for just the hat.
5. making the hat
I used a free template by Learncreatesew to construct the hat. Once, you have the outline you can trace or pin it to a piece of felt and cut it out. Starting on one side, roll the hat up. It should look like a cone. Carefully glue the seam shut, and apply pressure for a minute to fully secure the sides. After that, you are going to want to stuff the hat so it keeps its shape. To keep it eco-friendly, I take all my scraps and cut them into small chunks to fill the hat with.
putting it all together
Attach the hat to the body right above the beard. If you have buttons laying around, you can use one for a nose. If not, a little felt circle will do. Lastly, take a pompom and glue it to the very top of the hat. There you have it, your own little gnome!
Have fun with this craft by putting your own twist on the colors and details. Play around with size and shapes. Maybe add a heart or snowflake. To turn your gnome into an ornament just glue a strand of yarn or ribbon in the back. Hang on your tree, or decorate your office, and enjoy.
XOXO HC