Elegant No Sew Girl Gnome in a Dress
Make this elegant, no-sew girl gnome in a dress in under an hour. In Spring of every year, I’m asked for inspiration on girl gnomes – everything from hair to outfits are topics I answer in emails. This year, I wanted to offer up a sweet and simple female gnome before the requests come flooding in.
For this DIY gnome, you will need fleece in two colors, a hot glue gun, fur or yarn for the hair, and basic stuffing supplies. Let’s get started – wouldn’t she be too sweet to give to mom for Mother’s Day?
RELATED READING: Floral Bouquet Gnome (You Have to See It)
What You'll Find On This Page
Mother’s Day Gnome Idea
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, this time of year I start answering email after email about girl gnomes. Should I make one with braids? How do I braid fur? Should I make one with a dress? If so, do you have a pattern? Should I make the female gnome anatomically correct?
I tell you, friends, we have some interesting conversations via email and in the DIY Gnomes Facebook group here (you should join). But back to our girl gnomes…
This year, I found a gorgeous fleece color I’ve never seen before and built this gnome just to use it. True story. Let’s make her together – you need about 45 minutes and basic gnome making supplies.
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If you need to gather up supplies (isn’t that color of fleece gorgeous?), save this to a gnome patterns pin board or share it on Facebook. Either way, this beautiful gnome craft idea will be here when you’re ready to begin.
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Tips for Making This No Sew Gnome with Arms
- This no sew gnome is made using the Scandinavian Sweeties gnome pattern. It’s a HUGE pattern, full of different mitten styles and you can make a gnome with arms and legs, or any combination in between.
- In this easy gnome tutorial, I am using a needle to create a gathering stitch for the dress. If you truly want a no-sewing-of-any-kind dress, cut the rectangle about an inch smaller and wrap it around the body, placing it over the apron strings as indicated.
- To really accent the dress, I chose to make all of the gnome body, arms, hat, and mittens the same color. It’s a beautiful mauve I picked up at Joann’s, but you can choose any color fleece.
- For the apron or dress, you can use any fabric but keep in mind that tight-weave fabrics like cotton will not have any stretch. If you want to use those fabrics, cut the apron a half-inch to an inch longer and then gather.
- The look I chose for this girl gnome was one with simple hair to either side of her nose. Use fur, yarn, or doll hair to create any look you would like.
- For the gnome nose, I chose to use a wooden bead (wooden ball without the holes for this one), but you can use a felted ball, nylon stuffed with Poly Fill, or even make your own noses from polymer or air dry clay.
- I chose to add a floral accent in the gnome hat and recommend keeping the top simple so that the eyes are drawn to the dress. To help that, I used a gold thread picked up from the craft store and a large darning needle. Watch the video to see the stitch I used to get the details.
- Note: you can make this gnome as a sewing project. The pattern calls out instructions and seam allowances for each piece you choose to use.
RELATED READING: How to Make No Sew Sock Gnomes
Sweet Gnome in a Dress Instructions
Below is the written and printable tutorial. Be sure to get the Scandinavian Sweeties pattern to start and use the comments below to ask any questions. If you are a visual learner, you can watch the Girl Gnome in a Dress video tutorial here on YouTube.
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Mother's Day Girl Gnome in a Dress
Make this adorable gnome with a skirted apron for Mother's Day this year. This is a no-sew construction, however, the pattern can be sewn, too!
Materials
- Scandinavian Sweeties Pattern
- 1/4 fleece in primary color (I chose mauve)
- 1/8 fleece in secondary color (mine is cream)
- Blonde Fur (or other fur, yarn, or doll hair)
- Poly Pellets
- Poly Fill
- 1 inch Wood Ball (or other nose)
- Optional, trim for the hat and mittens
- Optional, flowers and leaves
- Optional, embroidery thread in gold
Tools
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- Scissors
- Exacto Knife and Cutting Mat
- Sewing Pins or Clips
Instructions
- Cut the following pattern pieces in primary color: body, base, hat, arms, and 2 tie top mittens. Also, cut 1 apron piece at 3.75" H x 13" L and two apron strings at 1" W x 3" high. Add trim to the right-side of the hat fabric.
- Place right sides together for hat and body and use a detail tip glue gun to join per the pattern instructions.
- Roll the arms and affix with glue.
- Anchor the base to the body by gluing one connection point and then secure with pins.
- Glue the base to the body.
- Use the hot glue to affix the mittens together, taking care to create a nice, even distribution of hot glue around the curves.
- Flip the hat, mittens, and body right sides out. To the body, add one cup of poly pellets and stuff until it bounces back when squeezed.
- Secure the body opening by clipping or pinning in place and gluing together. Note: you can add wire before gluing up the body.
- Add trim to the mittens, place the arm (seam side to the middle back) into the mitten, and secure with glue.
- Glue the edges of the aprons strings to the center, leaving about .75" open and flat. Fold down the top half-inch of the apron piece and use a running stitch to gather.
- Tie the apron to the body and pin the apron strings in place. Slip on the hat, tuck in the arms, and measure for the fur ponytails. Cut the fur with the Exacto knife (I used 3/4" W x 3" H).
- Notch the fur at the bottom into a point with the Exacto knife and glue the fur backing together.
- Glue the nose in place (I like the hat to scrunch over it), affix the apron strings, and glue down the hair.
- Add details to the dress, add flowers to the hat, and display.
Notes
I used one color for the entire gnome so I could accent the design with a differently colored dress, however, feel free to mix it up.
You can add braids with fur or yarn or even add bangs.
To make posable arms, add wire to the arms before gluing shut (they will last longer if the wire is glued into the fabric before rolling.
More DIY Gnome Patterns and Tutorials You Might Like
- Mother’s Day Floral Gnome – This is a beautiful bouquet gnome and makes a wonderful gift for mom.
- Pot Head Gnomes (Gnomes with Flower Pot Hats) – A beautiful result, this project is a great afternoon craft for all ages.
- Sunflower Gnome Pattern – This elegant flower gnome is going to be a conversation piece for years.
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Meet the Creator
Hi there, I’m Sarah Nenni-Daher. I’m a crafty gal and always have at least 14 projects going at once. I am a crafter, designer, DIYer, and pattern maker. I share my creations here and in the Ruffles and Rain Boots® Shop.
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots®, you’ll find DIY gnomes, crafts, gifts, cupcakes, laser crafts, and so much more. I love sharing video tutorials over on YouTube and chatting with other crafters in my Facebook groups. We’d love to have you!