I Love This Easy DIY Spring Sock Gnome with Boots
You’re not going to find a more adorable spring sock gnome with boots. The pastel colors are perfect for the changing seasons and friends – that little coffee cup….I’m in love!
Spring Sock Gnome with Boots
Here at Ruffles and Rain Boots, we are all about the gnome-life. Think I’m kidding? Search the site for gnomes (click here). I’ll wait. See?! I love making new styles of DIY gnomes – sock gnomes, cone gnomes, gnomes with legs, feet, boots. So, of course, I needed a fun sock gnome for spring and, wouldn’t you know it, I felt like this little guy needed some handmade gnome boots.
RELATED READING: THE BEST SPRING GNOMES TO MAKE YOUR SPRING FARMHOUSE DECOR BLOOM!
Why homemade boots, you ask? Well because I’m embarking on a little mini-crusade to make 10 pairs of gnome boots over the next few days. Ten pairs, each different and each fun – be sure to get on the email list here to get notified when they are ready. In the meantime, you need a spring sock gnome with boots, don’t you? Oh, friend, let’s get started.
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Tips to Make a Spring Sock Gnome with Boots
- Start with getting a sock that’s super fun and spring-erific. I found mine in my hubby’s sock drawer (just kidding–he was gifted some new socks in a package set of 4 pairs based on my need for a spring sock gnome…).
- Gnome beards… If you have never cut faux fur before or you’ve hated how it turned out, I have a treat for you! You can’t just whip out your scissors and start cutting as that will leave a sharp edge on the fur. Instead, flip over the fur and, with a razor blade or Exacto knife, cut only the fabric and then pull the cut piece away from the whole. This will leave you with a beautiful drape on the beard and you’ll love it. I show you how to cut faux fur in the video.
- I made this entire gnome a no-sew pattern by using hot glue to make all my hems. But you could absolutely use a sewing machine.
- If you want to make your own coffee cup as I did, the good news is that my YouTube video of making this tomte will have a tutorial of how to make the cup–but you can also check out my tutorial for how to make a sock gnome with a coffee cup for some images to help until I can get that video published.
How Do I Make this Spring Sock Gnome with Boots?
Below is our written tutorial, however, if you’re a visual learner check out this adorable gnome with boots video tutorial.
Before you started, however, be sure to read through what you need to know and what I wish I would have known when learning how to make sock gnomes.
Spring Sock Gnome with Boots
This adorable DIY spring sock gnome with boots is the perfect addition to any spring decor. He's got little homemade boots, the perfect twisty hat, and that little coffee cup in his fully-formed arms.
Materials
- 1 Pair Men's Sock with Spring Colors
- 2 Cups Polyfill Beads
- Polyfill
- 2 Cardboard Tubes
- 1 Gnome Noses (small polymer clay or wood ball)
- 2 Gnome Hands (small polymer clay or wood balls)
- Scraps Blue Felt
- White Craft Fur
- Brown Polymer Clay
- Off-White Polymer Clay
- Floral Wire
- Super Fluffy Fabric Scraps
- Scraps Brown Craft Felt
Tools
- Scissors
- Hot Glue Gun & Glue
- Oven
- Exacto Knife or Razor Blade
Instructions
- Start by making the gnome boots by cutting 1/2 inch off the bottom of one of the cardboard tubes. Cut one side of this small piece of the cardboard tube.
- Hot glue the two open ends of the small piece of cardboard tube on either side of the larger piece of cardboard tube at a 90-degree angle. This creates your basic boot shape.
- Using the boot shape as your guide, cut a piece of scrap brown craft felt to cut a sole for your shoes and hot glue the soles in place.
- Fill the larger part of the boots with polyfill beads. Fill the smaller (toe) portion of the boots with polyfill fluff.
- Cut a piece of blue craft felt tall enough to cover the boot and wide enough to wrap around the boot completely. Cut the basic boot shape out of each side of the blue craft felt by cutting out an "L" shape on each side. Hot glue the blue craft felt to the boot shape and trim any excess felt.
- Cut a 1/2 inch wide section of super fluffy fabric long enough to wrap around the top of the boot. Hot glue the fluffy fabric in place around the top of each boot. Cut a second sole shape for each boot and hot glue in place.
- Cut a thin piece of brown craft felt and fold it in half, making a "ribbon" shape. Hot glue this ribbon shape in place on the front of each boot.
- Start making your gnome body by filling one of the socks with the remaining portion of polyfill beads. Fill the sock with an additional 1-2 cups (or so) of polyfill, about halfway up the sock. Tie the sock closed and cut off the excess sock fabric. Hot glue the knot of the sock closed.
- With the second sock, cut a big long angle, starting at just below the heel, moving all the way up into the toe, making a large, thin angled cut. Turn the sock inside out. Hot glue the two cut edges together, forming a seam. Turn the sock right side out.
- Feed the floral wire up into the hat, followed by polyfill, forming the hat. Stuff the sock full of polyfill, as desired.
- Tuck the hat down over the body and make sure you like the fit.
- Hot glue the nose on just above where you want the mustache to start.
- Cut out a large beard shape from the white faux fur by turning the fur over and cutting only the fabric with the Exacto knife. To determine how big to make my beard I simply laid the filled sock over the fur and made a "U" shape that would leave fur just at the edge of the sock to overhang on the boots (eventually) and starting about 4 inches from the top of the sock--and about as wide as the entire front half of the sock. Hot glue the beard to the body.
- Tuck the hat back down onto the gnome head and hot glue the brim in place over the nose with a cute wrinkle (the best part!). Pull the hat down low in the back and hot glue it in place. Leave the sides open to place the arms--we'll glue the sides down later.
- Set the gnome on top of the boots. Where the boots and sock bottom of the gnome touch, add a bead of hot glue and press the gnome into the boots to create a good seal.
- With the scraps of sock that you cut off the top of the hat, cut two 1-inch wide sections as long as you can get.
- Fold this section of sock fabric in half, with the right sides facing. Hot glue the two cut sides of the sock fabric together, forming a hem. Turn the arms right-side-out. Fold over the one end and make a cute cuff (hot glue in place if desired).
- Stuff a portion of sock scrap up inside each arm to give it some beef-cakey-ness. Slip each arm up into the hat (trim as desired), behind the beard and hot glue in place. Hot glue the hands onto the ends of the arms.
- Make the coffee cup by rolling a 2-inch by 1/2-inch section of off white clay into a cylinder. Make the coffee by forming a small, thin disc of brown clay about the same width as the off-white cylinder. Press the disc of coffee in a depression in the top of the cup. Make a thin snake of white curl it over on itself to make whipped cream. Add this dab of whipped cream to the top of coffee. Make a small thin snake of off white clay and curl it over to make a handle for the cup. Smooth the coffee cup and coffee to your heart's content.
- Bake the cup per the clay package's directions. Allow it to cool fully.
- Hot glue the coffee cup between each hand of the gnome and you're done!
Notes
For more fun spring gnome patterns, visit Ruffles and Rain Boots!
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More Spring Gnome Patterns You Might Like
- Clay Pot Gnome Statue – This is seriously the cutest addition to your garden that you could make. And it’s really quick and easy!
- Home Gnome Interchangeable Season Sign – I can’t get over how fun this easy DIY seasonal sign is! Plus, there are some adorable gnomes here…just sayin’.
- Spring Cone Gnome with Rain Boots – The first spring gnome I made this year–it’s green, it’s flowery and SO MUCH FUN!
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I don’t get how you keep the end of the wire in the hat to not poke through the sock. Should I be folding the end over a bit like a hook before I stuff it. This is so darn cute I have to give it a try!!
That is exactly what you do. I haven’t finished the video for this guy, but yes – I bend over the end of the floral wire to look like a hoop, cover it lightly with polyfill, and then put it in the hat before stuffing. The end of the floral wire goes into the body – long enough to make sure it doesn’t pop out when people are adjusting it. :)
This is one of the cutest gnomes I have seen.
Awww, thank you so much, Sylvia. It was fun to make and he looks so cute when done.