Make This Adorable, Easy DIY Scandinavian Gnome with Braids

You can make this adorable, easy DIY Scandinavian gnome with braids in no time at all. And you won’t even need faux fur!

This easy holiday craft for a DIY Scandinavian gnome will add a festive, feminine touch to your decor.

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DIY Scandinavian Gnome with Braids

We have been creating a little gnome family for this year’s holiday decorations. We started with a little gnome made from rice, moved onto the male Scandinavian gnome, and today, I’m sharing the most adorable girl gnome with braids.

For those of you who just want to buy a gnome (or a set), see if one of these matches your style:

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collage of diy gnomes teaching how to make a gnome with or without legs and with or without sewing

DIY Christmas Gnome Tutorials

If you’re looking for the best DIY Christmas gnome tutorials, you have come to the right place. Check out all of my favorite tomte tutorials for the holidays!

Supplies to Make DIY Nordic Gnomes

We make gnomes so much here on Ruffles and Rain Boots that we’ve created our own Amazon supplies list for making Swedish gnomes. Check it out!

  • Styro Cone (I’ve used 6-inches for this one and 9-inches for this Christmas gnome with a beard)
  • Felt (8.5 x 11-inch craft felt will be fine)
  • Faux Fur
  • Muslin or other natural-looking fabric (I used scraps from sewing patterns)
  • Bead, clay shape, or rounded button for the nose
  • Glue gun, water, scissors, and a sewing pin

Holiday Tomte Nisse Christmas Gnome Family DIY Holiday Decor

How to Make a Christmas Swedish Gnome with Braids

I tried using the faux fur as braids by cutting it into thin strips. It braided well, but the short fur just went everywhere. It did not look like a braid.

Craft fail.

I remembered our experiment brushing yarn for our DIY troll dolls and decided to try that. It worked! This is the yarn we used for the braids but I’m sure you can use any that have a fuzzy-like quality.

Note: if you’re a bit detail-oriented, make sure to line up the seams. Oops.

Yield: 1 Scandinavian Gnome (Tomte)

Make This Adorable, Easy DIY Scandinavian Gnome with Braids

DIY Scandinavian Gnome Minimalist Holiday Decor Idea

You can make this adorable, easy DIY Scandinavian gnome with braids in no time at all. And you won't even need faux fur!

Active Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $5

Materials

  • Styro Cone (I’ve used 6-inches for this one and 9-inches for this Christmas gnome with a beard)
  • Felt (8.5 x 11-inch craft felt will be fine)
  • Faux Fur
  • Muslin or other natural-looking fabric (I used scraps from sewing patterns)
  • Bead, clay shape, or rounded button for the nose

Tools

  • Glue gun and glue sticks

Instructions

  1. To get the appearance of hair or faux fur, brush the yarn with a comb.
  2. how to comb yarn
  3. Brush as much as will make about a 2-inch ball (not compressed) for each strand of each braid. You need six (6) 2-inch balls for this sized DIY Scandinavian gnome.
  4. gather yarn into balls in order to braid
  5. With one ball of fuzz at a time, add a little water and roll the ball in between flattened palms. You won't need much water and you can pull any errant strings that won't stay in the roll.
  6. Roll yarn with water to create faux fur or hair for a female gnome
  7. Once you have three rolls, braid them as you would hair. When you reach the end, you can pull out some of the yarn to thin the braid for a more natural look.
  8. Using a couple of the errant strings I pulled from the yarn rolls, I tied off one end (the skinny one) and then the other. The one at the top of the braid shouldn't be pulled too tight.
  9. Cover the cone with muslin and hot glue to affix. Then, attach the braids with a dab of hot glue at the top.
  10. hot glue the braids to the muslin covered cone
  11. Cut a rounded triangle (detailed in this gnome tutorial) and create the tip of the cone only. We're going to create a custom-fit hat for our girl gnome.
  12. rolll felt into cone for the gnome hat
  13. Next, we're going to wrap the hat snugly (but not too tightly) around the body of the cone. The hat should not flatten the braids.
  14. Once you have it positioned, use a pin to hold the felt in place. We'll come back to it.
  15. pin hat temporarily on the Scandinavian gnome
  16. For the nose, I used a clay piece we'd made and stored.
  17. Lie down your adorable DIY Scandinavian gnome (with those fabulous braids) and position the nose with a little dab of hot glue. You can also choose to glue down the front of the hat to the top of the nose (to give it a little character).
  18. How to make a Scandinavian gnome nose
  19. Once the nose is on, stand your gnome up and glue the back of the hat pieces together and affix to the gnome. Unlike me, take care to line up the seams for a finished look.
  20. how to make a no sew gnome

Notes

For more amazing gnome tutorials, visit Ruffles and Rain Boots.com

Did you make this?

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There you have it – your DIY Scandinavian gnome with braids is all done! Be sure to make her some friends like our Christmas Gnome or the adorable easy gnome made with rice.

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Make the adorable DIY Scandinavian gnome with braids. She makes a great addition to any holiday decor! #gnome #naturalChristmas #ScandinavianInspired #Hygge #Minimalist

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2 Comments

    1. Harriet, for this gnome (with the braids), I put it only on the sides. It might be super cute, however, for a little parted tuft to peek out of the back of the hat. Great idea!