Gnome Ornaments

It's the middle of December, and I am scurrying around trying to get ready for Christmas.  I've been busy shopping, wrapping, and mailing packages and cards.  That hasn't left me much time to get into the studio.  Since I don't have a project underway, I thought I'd show you a previous project: gnomes ornaments.

Many years ago, I was really into doll making.  I checked out a book from the library on making gnomes.  I wish I could remember the exact title, but I can't.  A couple of years ago I tried to look it up, but the book is no longer in the catalog.  I haven't been able to find the same book on Amazon either, so I guess it has gone out of print.  (Or possibly
the cover has been changed so that it is not recognizable as the same book.) Anyway, there were patterns in the book for making gnomes of different sizes.  I decided that I would use the smallest pattern and make ornaments for the Christmas tree.  They have been hanging on the tree every year since.  One year I wired some of them into the wreath for the front door.

There is not a lot of work involved in making the gnomes in this size.  I made these out of felt, which has held up well, and did not have edges that would fray.  The pants are just tubes stuffed with polyester fiberfill.  The shirt was cut on the fold at the neckline, and the side seams were sewn together, sewn to the pants and stuffed.  The hands are small rectangles of flesh color felt.  The boots are two shaped pieces for each boot that are sewn together, stuffed and sewn to the bottom of the tubes.  The head is a circle of muslin gathered around the edge, pulled tight to form a spherical shape and stuffed.  I did some soft sculpting on the face with thread before adding the hat.  Acrylic paint was used to add details to the eyes and mouth.  The hat is a triangle shaped into a cone and stuffed.

The gnomes were fun to make.  The felt has held up year after year.  Besides ornaments, they would also look great tied on presents as decorations.