How to Make Faux Fur Letters for an EPIC Gnome Display!
For the longest time, I’ve wanted to figure out how to make faux fur letters to add to my gnome displays and this easy tutorial is so fun, I’ll definitely be making more.
How to Make Faux Fur Letters
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, we love our holiday gnomes, but sometimes they’re just sitting on a shelf alone and they’re kind of meh. And for a long time, I’ve had this idea of making giant fur letters that would go with my gnomes and really make the whole scene pop. So, I finally found the time and dug into my craft boxes to find the perfect materials to make my faux fur letters!
RELATED READING: DIY CHRISTMAS GNOME IN 10-MINUTES!
What I ended up with was a really easy tutorial that anyone can make. And it looks so incredibly fantastic in person, I love it. If you’re ready to really bring your scene to life with some fun DIY fur letters, let’s get started.
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Tips to Make Giant Fur Letters
- Use a low-pile plush fur. Trust me, long pile faux fur is just not going to do it for you. Long pile is going to look messy and make the letters hard to read. But with a short-pile fur, you will have all the puff you love, but none of the mess.
- Grab some 12-inch paper mache letters like these. Now, I know you’re thinking that 12-inches seems really big. But that’s the thing. We’re making GIANT DIY fur letters. So you want large. And because most gnomes are somewhere between 8-10 inches, you will want a set of letters that are larger than they are to make that height differentiation that looks so good with a pulled-together scene.
- Drop the scissors! Just kidding, don’t drop them, you might hurt yourself. Just set them aside on your craft table gently. Instead, pick up a razor blade, rotary cutter or craft knife. Cutting faux fur is so much more beautiful and fluffy when you flip the faux fur face-down on the table, then cut the fabric backing with a single blade. Scissors just make a mess of the fur and make the cuts look choppy. So, trust me, leave the scissors out of this project.
How Do I Make Faux Fur Letters?
I’m so glad you asked. Below is our written tutorial. The full faux fur covered letters video tutorial can be found here on YouTube.
How to Make Faux Fur Letters
Sometimes, you just need some giant fur letters to make a fun scene with a DIY gnome. So, let's walk through how to make faux fur letters and bring it all together!
Materials
- 1 - 2 yds Low-Pile Plush Fur
- 12-inch Paper Mache Letters
- 1 Floral Pick for Accents
Tools
- Razor Blade, Rotary Blade or Craft Knife
- Pencil or Fabric Marker
- Hot Glue Gun & Glue
- Wire Cutters
Instructions
- Spread the faux fur fabric-side up on your craft table.
- Place the paper mache letter onto the fabric backing of the fur and trace the letter's shape onto the fabric.
- Move the letter off the fabric, then using the razor blade, rotary blade or craft knife, cut out the shape of the letter carefully, only cutting the fabric and not the fur. Gently pull the fur apart as you're cutting, taking care to go slow on any curves in particular.
- When the letter has been completely cut out from the fur, gently pull on the edges of the faux fur, pulling away any transfer to clean up the edges.
- Working in very small sections, hot glue your cut-out letter to the paper mache letter.
- You can finish at this point, or you can take the time to cut out each of the sections from the faux fur, using the same method, to fit the edges of the paper mache letter. I did this and I think it really made the piece look beautiful. Note, if working on an "o", "c", or similar shape, you can cut out just a slit in the center, followed by smaller perpendicular slits all around this larger slit, rather that cutting out the center of the letter. For more detail on this technique, check out the video where I explain that in detail.
- Cut off elements from the pick to use for your accents, then hot glue them in place on the front of the letters and enjoy!
Notes
For more fun holiday crafts, visit Ruffles and Rain Boots!
More Holiday Crafts You Might Like
- Rudolph Gnome – If you feel like making a gnome, don’t want Santa, but love you some Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, this easy gnome tutorial is exactly what you need.
- DIY Santa Cookie Plate – Santa loves his cookies (this year more than most, I’m sure) and to help that rotund fella stay rotund, make a cookie plate for the kids to put out!
- Santa Gnome from a Cone – The easiest gnomes are the ones with patterns you can read, follow a tutorial and make a gnome from a cone with a big jolly belly! Ha!
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