DIY Sock Gnome Dolls

attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts

DIY Gnome Dolls - close up of 4 gnomes My mum and I sorted through a bunch of clothes and items from around the house to donate to charity. Whatever did not seem good enough for a second life went into our craft materials pile. These gnomes were made from those scraps. We used socks, shirts, and shoulder pads. It was a lot of fun!

A sewing machine is optional here. It just makes things a bit faster. If you don't have sewing skills, a hot glue gun is a good friend! I know; I use it as a substitute sometimes! :)

Supplies:

socks
cotton stuffing/cotton batting
scissors
thin white fabric or sheer stockings
old shirts and shoulder pads
needle/thread/sewing machine
bells or mini ornaments

Steps:

Take 2 socks and roll them into a ball. Insert them into a long tube sock.

DIY Gnome Dolls - roll two socks into a ball and insert into a tube sock

Fold the tube sock down three times. This will create a head area that has a lip that will hold the beard.

DIY Gnome Dolls - fold sock down 3 times to create the head

Stuff 3 segments of cotton, the longest in the middle, into the folded down sock to make the beard.

DIY Gnome Dolls - insert 3 sections of cotton into the fold for the beard

Cut out a circle of the thin white fabric, about 2 inches in size.

DIY Gnome Dolls - cut out a 2 inch circle from the thin white fabric

Sew around the edges of the circle, then pull on the string to make a bowl.

DIY Gnome Dolls - sew a running stitch around the edge of the circle and gather to make a bowl

Fill this little bowl up with some cotton stuffing.

DIY Gnome Dolls - fill with cotton stuffing

Pull the string taut, then sew it closed. You now have a button nose.

DIY Gnome Dolls - pull thread taut and sew the nose closed

Sew the nose onto the sock right under the fold, through the beard.

DIY Gnome Dolls - sew the nose onto the sock right below the fold and through the beard

To make the hat, take a big piece of scrap material and wrap it around the gnome's head to make sure it's big enough to slip on. Fold the material in half so it's inside out. My fabric was about 10.5" x 4.5" when folded in half.

DIY Gnome Dolls - use a piece of fabric large enough to go around the head to make the hat

Take a straight edge and draw a tall cone onto the fabric.

DIY Gnome Dolls - after folding, use a straight edge to make a cone

Sew the side edges of the tall cone, leaving the bottom edge open.

DIY Gnome Dolls - sew up the side edges of the cone and leave the bottom open

Trim the cone you just sewed, about 3mm outside of the sewed lines.

DIY Gnome Dolls - trim excess fabric outside the seams

Flip the hat right side out and stuff with a bit of cotton. I used more stuffing in some and did not put some in others, for variation.

DIY Gnome Dolls - turn right side out and stuff with cotton

Fold the rim of the hat inwards.

DIY Gnome Dolls - fold the bottom rim in

Pull the hat onto the gnome's head so it touches the nose.

DIY Gnome Dolls - put hat on the gnome's head so that it touches the nose

Sew the bell or mini ornament onto the end of the pointed hat.

To make shoes, cut off the edges of a shoulder pad so you have 2 curved triangles.

DIY Gnome Dolls - cut the ends off of a shoulder pad to make the shoes

The shoulder pad comes with a bit of stuffing, but not enough. Cut some cotton sheet stuffing the same size as the shoes.

DIY Gnome Dolls - cut two pieces of batting the same size as the shoulder pad shoes

Stuff the shoes with the cotton.

DIY Gnome Dolls - stuff the shoes with the additional batting

Sew up all the edges of the shoes.

DIY Gnome Dolls - sew up all edges of the shoes

Sew the shoes onto the bottom of the gnome.

DIY Gnome Dolls - sew the shoes onto the bottom of the gnome

These gnomes will stand on their own because of the weight of the socks. I like to anchor little bags of candy to them and have my nieces and nephews play a Christmas version of an Easter egg hunt. They love the gnomes, and the candies!