Free pattern and tutorial for an adorable felt gnome and gnome house. Use this pattern with red and green felt to make a Christmas gnome!
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Felt Gnome Tutorial
What You'll Find on This Page
I really enjoyed designing this pattern. I started with really thinking about what gnomes are, and how they are commonly portrayed. Since they are magical creatures, there was a lot of room to get creative in the design. I decided on a stone house that would be somewhere out in nature – maybe in a forest, or beside a stream.
Materials:
- Felt. Wool felt is my favorite. It’s certainly the most rewarding to work with. But the ecofi felt is quite nice these days, and I’ve used basic acrylic felt as well.
- Needle and thread. I like Clover Gold Eye Embroidery Needles. These are the needles I give my children, too. Some people worry about children and sharp needles, but I find them to actually be safer. You don’t have to press as hard with a sharp needle. A sharp needle will also create a cleaner, easier to heal injury if something does go wrong.
- Thread. Gutermann brand is my go-to.
- Embroidery floss for the eyes and mouth.
- Poly pellets – not required, but they will help the finished gnome stay upright.
- Fiber fill – a small amount is all you need. This is to stuff the toy, and for the gnome’s beard.
- Tacky craft glue for attaching the beard.
* scroll to the end of the post for the free pattern link*
How to Sew a Felt Gnome
I hand stitched the gnome. The pattern is at the end of this post, but here are the steps:
- Place the gnome’s face on the body. Stitch features (including the nose) to hold it in place. You can stitch the edges, but I liked the way it looked without that step.
- Stitch the back of the body together.
- Stitch the base of the gnome to the body. I think this is the trickiest step, but be patient and you can do it!
- Fill about halfway with poly pellets. You can skip this step, but adding it in helps the gnome stay upright.
- Stuff to the top.
- Fold the half circle that forms the gnome hat pattern piece into a quarter circle. Sew the straight edge of that quarter circle to form your hat. Stitch the completed hat to the gnome. This is another step that can feel a bit tricky. Be patient, and you can do it!
That’s it! Your gnome is ready to go adventuring.
How to Make a Felt Gnome House
This felt gnome house can be stitched entirely by hand, but I completed part of it with a sewing machine.
* scroll to the end of the post for the free pattern link*
This first step is optional since it is for looks only, but I think it adds a lot to the house.
Hand or machine stitch lines along the roof piece pattern to add interest. I used the edge of my sewing machine foot to follow along the curve, using each new stitching line as another curve to follow.
Now you’re ready to sew the house! Here are the steps. I’ve written them assuming the use of a sewing machine, but you can do all of these stitches by hand if needed.
- Stitch along the edges of the door and the house piece.
- Use a wide zig zag stitch to attach the door to the house piece. While it is possible to leave them attached while cutting out the pattern, I found that it looked better if I cut the door out all the way and then reattached it.
- Connect the walls of the house using a wide zig zag stitch. I found it easiest if I stitched from the top to the center, then turned it around and stitched from the bottom to the center.
- Fold the half circle of the hut roof pattern piece into a quarter circle. Stitch along that straight edge to form the roof. Turn right side out.
- You can stitch the roof to the house if you like. I skipped this. I found the roof stayed on easily, and it makes for better play sometimes if children can remove the roof it they want to.
You’ve done it! I hope you’ll share photos of your completed project.
Felt Gnome and Felt Gnome House Sewing Pattern
Ready to sew?
Click here to download the gnome and gnome house pattern!
Today’s post is part of the 2022 Sew a Softie project! Follow along all month to find more free magical sewing projects to try.
I would love to see photos of you use this pattern to make your own gnome and gnome house!
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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
It’s so cute! I love how it looks. Felt toys are so much fun.
I love felt toys, and I was so happy with how this one turned out!