Mini Gnome Ornaments from Glove Fingers – 3 Ways!

I wanted more Christmas tree gnomes this year, so I figured out how to make mini gnome ornaments from glove fingers so I could make a ton of tiny gnomes in minutes!

photo collage of how to make a gnome ornament three ways
Easy tutorial for making mini gnome ornaments from a glove finger three different ways!

Mini Gnome Ornaments

Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, we love making gnomes. Seriously, it has become of of my favorite pastimes. If I can find 20 minutes, I can find a way to make a gnome. Almost like therapy for the mind and hands. But this year, I’m really planning to go gnome-crazy with my Christmas tree and I’m determined to make a ton of tiny gnomes to decorate with.

RELATED READING: OUR MOST POPULAR GNOME ORNAMENTS

Definitely one of my very favorite (and fastest) gnome ornament tutorials I’ve ever done, these little mini gnomes are everything you’d ever need in a gnome Christmas tree ornament. If you’re ready to make a few for your tree, let’s get started.

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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!

No Time to Make This Now? Pin it for Later

You’re busy, I get it. Pin this to your favorite Christmas crafts board on Pinterest and it’ll be here for when you’re ready.

close up of miniature gnome ornament with text which reads tiny gnome ornaments 3 ways

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RELATED READING: Need More Gnome Ornament Ideas? Gotcha Covered

Tips to Make Miniature Gnome Ornaments

  • Be very careful with the hot glue. If you notice in the video, I actually burned myself once or twice. So, just be careful.
  • If you’re planning to make these miniature tomten for your Christmas tree, AWESOME! But if you’re not sure you want them on your tree, but you love them, you could always use them to make a garland for your stairs, cute gift decorations, or even as a fun and unique handmade gift idea for a family member that loves farmhouse home decor.
  • Generally, I end up making my gnome noses from whatever is on hand. Sometimes it’s wood beads, sometimes buttons. But for this gnome project, it was polymer clay. Why did I pick clay to make this nose? Because I was going to be breaking out the clay anyway for another project. When designing, use what you’re already planning to have on the craft table.
  • If you’ve never cut faux fur before, do not just go after it with scissors. You’ll ruin the drape and be super sorry. But, if you flip the fur over and cut the fabric only with an Exacto knife, you’ll be able to save the fur and it’ll look great!
how to make a gnome ornament with different hats

How Do I Make this Tiny gnome Ornament?

I’m so glad you asked. Below is our written tutorial. If you’re making a Christmas craft ideas playlist on YouTube, here is our mini gnome ornament video tutorial.

Start by cutting the fingers off of the glove, right where the finger joins with the hand part of the glove. How to make a gnome with a glove finger

How to make a gnome with a glove finger

Fill each finger with a small amount of polyfill.

How to make a glove finger gnome

Tie the cut end of the glove finger closed with your twine or embroidery thread.

How to make a gnome with a glove

Flip the mongolian fur over with the fur side down, then using the exacto knife or razor blade, cut only the fabric backing to make a very small triangle or rectangle, about 2-inches long and 1/2-inch wide. This is the gnome’s beard.

How to make a gnome ornament with a glove

To make the gnome with a tobogan-type hat, hot glue the beard onto the center of the gnome, covering the bottom half of the finger. Then hot glue the nose on the edge of the fur, about half on the fur and half on the glove finger. Then pull down the glove finger partly over the top of the beard on either side of the nose and hot glue in place. Add a string to the top to make a loop.

How to make a gnome ornament

To make the gnome with the acorn top hat, place the acorn top on the head of the gnome and gauge where you want the nose and beard to be. Hot glue the beard in place just below where the acorn top will end. Hot glue the nose onto the beard. Hot glue the acorn top in place. Tie a string on the top of the acorn top and make a loop to hang the ornament.

Crafter making a mini gnome ornament from a glove

To make the gnome with the pointy, curved hat, cut out a long, wide triangle of craft felt, with a base of about 3-inches across and a height of about 6-8 inches. Fold this triangle in half and make sure it will fit onto your gnome. If it will and is not too large, hot glue the triangle closed.

How to make a gnome with an acorn top

Then slide a portion of floral wire into the hat and hot glue it in place, cutting the wire off if any hangs out. Tuck this hat onto the gnome head to gauge where you want the nose and beard to be. Hot glue the beard in place just above where the felt hat will end. Hot glue the nose onto the beard. Hot glue the hat in place. Curve the hat as desired. Hot glue a string onto the tip back of the hat and make a loop to hang the ornament.

How to make a tiny gnome for the Christmas Tree

More Tiny Gnome Ornaments You Might Like

  • Wooden Gnome Ornaments – These are the tiniest little triangles of wood and all dressed up like gnomes–to make a set of ornaments that are absolutely adorable!
  • Sledding Gnome Ornament – Even gnomes need to have a little fun sometimes. And this gnome decided to go sledding.
  • Mitten Gnome Ornament – Doesn’t every gnome like to hide in a mitten? I know I would if I could fit…
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mini gnomes made for Christmas tree ornaments with text which reads tiny glove finger gnome ornaments
Yield: 5 Mini Gnome Christmas Ornaments

Mini Gnome Ornament from a Glove Finger

how to make a gnome ornament with different hats

I absolutely love how easy these tiny gnome ornaments turned out. If I ever needed a mini gnome ornament made from a glove finger, now I need about 20.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $1

Materials

  • Knitted Glove (child size shown in photos, but you can use any size)
  • Mongolian Fur
  • Small Wood Beads or Polymer Clay Beads
  • Craft Felt
  • Floral Wire
  • Acorn Tops
  • Small Amount of Polyfill
  • Embroidery Thread or Twine

Tools

  • Hot Glue Gun and Glue
  • Scissors
  • Exacto Knife or Razor Blade

Instructions

  1. Start by cutting the fingers off of the glove, right where the finger joins with the hand part of the glove.
  2. Fill each finger with a small amount of polyfill.
  3. Tie the cut end of the glove finger closed with your twine or embroidery thread.
  4. Flip the Mongolian fur over with the fur side down, then using the exacto knife or razor blade, cut only the fabric backing to make a very small triangle or rectangle, about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. This is the gnome's beard.
  5. To make the gnome with a tobogan-type hat, hot glue the beard onto the center of the gnome, covering the bottom half of the finger. Then hot glue the nose on the edge of the fur, about half on the fur and half on the glove finger. Then pull down the glove finger partly over the top of the beard on either side of the nose and hot glue in place. Add a string to the top to make a loop.
  6. To make the gnome with the acorn top hat, place the acorn top on the head of the gnome and gauge where you want the nose and beard to be. Hot glue the beard in place just below where the acorn top will end. Hot glue the nose onto the beard. Hot glue the acorn top in place. Tie a string on the top of the acorn top and make a loop to hang the ornament.
  7. To make the gnome with the pointy, curved hat, cut out a long, wide triangle of craft felt, with a base of about 3 inches across and a height of about 6-8 inches. Fold this triangle in half and make sure it will fit onto your gnome. If it will and is not too large, hot glue the triangle closed.
  8. Then slide a portion of floral wire into the hat and hot glue it in place, cutting the wire off if any hangs out. Tuck this hat onto the gnome head to gauge where you want the nose and beard to be. Hot glue the beard in place just above where the felt hat will end. Hot glue the nose onto the beard. Hot glue the hat in place. Curve the hat as desired. Hot glue a string onto the tip back of the hat and make a loop to hang the ornament.

Notes

For more fun gnome ornament tutorials, visit RufflesandRainBoots.com

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2 Comments

  1. I’ve started making these and after I cut the fingers off I didn’t have the heart to throw the rest of the glove away so I cut a 2 1/2″ circle out of the front and back of the hand part and am now doing a running stitch around the circles and stuffing them to make more gnomes on basically the same way you made the rest of them. Thank you so much for sharing your patterns!!

    1. Wow, that is such a great way to keep making gnomes from the material. I made a couple of pompoms with them, but love your idea, Pat! Thank you so much for sharing.