Love gnome figurines
Meet Honey and Babe, our two adorable love gnomes. Aren’t they just too cute?
You can sew them to be soft toys or display pieces, or even quirky doorstops! Will you keep these to yourself, or gift them to a loved one?
Notes
Finished size: approximately 28cm high. Seam allowance is 7mm (1/4”) throughout and is included on pattern pieces where applicable. We suggest you use a ¼ inch presser foot.Materials
For both
- Flesh toned or cream coloured linen or light canvas: 30 x 90cm piece per gnome
- Toy stuffing – about 100g per gnome
- A weight to make it sit – you can use a large pebble, a little bag of rice or pellets sold for use in soft toys
- Matching thread
Download patterns here
Honey (female gnome)’s clothes
- 60 x 30cm magenta stripe fabric for hat
- 10 x 15cm red and white mini dot fabric for heart on hat
- 110 x 20cm pink stripe fabric for dress
- 40 x 20cm heart print fabric for apron
- 10 x 15cm pink felt for nose
- 24 x 12cm dark lavender felt for hat trim
- 2 x small flower or heart motives or buttons for either side of hat
- 1 x ball of knitting yarn (we used DK weight) for plaits
- Small piece of ribbon for bows on plaits
- 60cm of narrow ribbon for apron
Babe (male gnome)’s clothes
- 60 x 30cm light purple fabric for hat
- 10 x 15cm red and white mini dot fabric for heart on hat
- 70 x 20cm dark purple fabric for coat
- 30 x 5cm yellow stripe fabric for belt
- 10 x 15cm pink felt for nose
- 24 x 12cm dark magenta felt for hat trim
- 2 x small flower or heart motives or buttons for either side of hat
- 23 x 20cm piece of fur for beard – we used one with a pile of 4-5cm
Equipment
- Sewing machine
- General sewing supplies
- Hand sewing needle
How to
Step 1
Download and print the PDF patterns and cut them out.
Step 2
Cutting
Step 3 - bodies
Watch the video first.Step 3A
Place body pieces with right sides facing and sew one side seam from top to bottom. Sew second side seam only up to the mark. Press the seams. Fold bottom edges to mark centres.
Step 3B
Fold the base (circle piece) in four to make quarters, finger pressing on the folds.
Step 3C
Place the body on the base, right sides facing, matching body seams and centre marks to the circle’s finger-pressed quarter marks. Pin. Ease edge of body to fit smoothly onto the edge of the circle and place a few pins in each section. Sew all around. Step 3D
Turn out, and finger press bottom seam. Add a layer of stuffing, about 2.5cm when compressed – then add the weighting item of your choice. Continue stuffing till the body is firm and the stuffing comes to about 3cm from the opening edge.Step 3E
Hand sew the opening in the side seam and add a little more stuffing if needed.Step 3F
Sew large stitches all around the opening and pull tight. Wrap the thread around a few times and fasten off securely.
Step 4 - hats
Watch the video first.Step 4A
Place front and back of hat with angled sides matching and right sides facing. Sew sides.Step 4B
Place one piece of hat trim on the wrong side of the hat front, aligning the sewing line of the trim to the side seam of the hat on each side. Shape the hat trim to fit on the curved edge of the hat and pin securely. Sew, making sure to tie off well at start and end. Repeat with back of hat and second piece of hat trim.Step 4C
Tuck trim to the inside of the hat and under stitch the hat to the trim.Step 4D
Turn hat out, fold trim up and press in place, shaping the felt as you go. Pin trim up to keep it in place until you have secured it on the sides with a button or trim.Tip: wool felt is much easier to shape than acrylic or bamboo felt. Be careful not to melt acrylic felt when ironing.
Step 4E
Sew the two red heart pieces together, right sides facing and leaving an opening as indicated. Clip the curved edges and turn out. Stuff, then hand sew the opening closed. Sew to tip of the hat.
Step 5 – Babe’s clothes
Step 5A
Lay belt on the coat pieces where indicated and fuse in place. Secure with blanket stitch or satin stitch in yellow. Step 5B
Place both coat pieces together with right sides facing and sew side seams.Step 5C
Fold 1cm hem up and sew in place with straight stitch and matching thread.Step 5D
Cut the beard by placing the template on the wrong side (fabric/flat side) of the faux fur. Trace around with a permanent or water-soluble marker.Tip: carefully cut out, sliding the bottom scissor blade under the pile of the felt so you cut only through the fabric, not the pile.
Step 5E
Trim the top 7mm of fur away to make sewing easier. Mark the centre of the beard and place a pin 2cm lower. Trim a small triangle area where the nose will be.Step 5F
It’s time to get Babe dressed for his big date with Honey!Slip the coat on and pin to the body with the hem about 1cm from the table. Hand sew in place using large stitches, catching the coat and body with every stitch. Fasten off securely at start and end.
Step 5G
Position the beard. If it’s too long, carefully trim some of the backing fabric away until it sits well. Place and hand sew the beard in place – sew only the top edge.Step 6 – Honey’s clothes
Watch the video first.Step 6A
Place the dress pieces together right side to right side. Sew the side seams.Step 6B
Fold a 1cm hem up and sew in place with matching thread.Step 6C
Select a straight stitch on your sewing machine and set the stitch length to the maximum. Sew one line of stitches 7mm from the top edge of the dress, starting at A, continuing all around the back of the dress and ending at the same point on the opposite side of the neck edge. Leave a long end of thread at the start and finish, and do not tie off. Repeat 1.25cm from the top edge.Step 6D
Sew a set of gathering stitches as above along the bottom part of the neckline. Gathering areas are indicated on the pattern pieces.Step 6E
Place the two apron pieces with right sides facing and edges matching. Sew all around with a normal straight stitch, leaving an opening as shown. Clip around curved edges and turn out through the opening.Step 6F
Roll seams out and press, tucking the seam allowances of the opening in. Top stitch all around apron.Step 6G
Place the ribbon centre on the centre of the apron back, aligning with the bottom of the armhole. Secure with a few stitches on each side.Step 6H
Let’s get Honey dressed to impress her Babe!Place the apron on the body front, with the hem 3cm from the table. Make two small marks right above the apron straps. Put the apron aside again.
Step 6I
Slip the dress on, and pin to body with hem about 1cm from the table. Match side seams of body and dress, and pin centre fronts as well. Match A and B to the two marks you made using the apron as a guide.Step 6J
Pull up the gathering stitches to ruffle the dress until it fits around the back and front between A and side seam, and B and side seam. Ruffle the front part of the skirt as well. Tie the long ends from forming the ruffles together at each end. Do not cut the threads yet.Step 6K
Hand sew the dress to the body, using large stitches and making sure to catch the dress and body in each stitch. Do two rows, to make sure all the ruffles are secured. Trim all loose threads, but do not cut the knots (where you have tied the threads) off.Step 6L
Pin the apron in place and sew at the top of the straps, and a little down the inside of the straps. Tie at the back and secure the knot in place with a few stitches.Step 6M
Make the plaits. Cut a piece of card approximately 30cm. Wind the yarn 24 times around the card. Tie the strands together at one end and slide the yarn off the card. You should have about 48 strands of yarn. Divide the bundle into three sections and make a plait of about 15cm long. Tie and trim unevenly, about 3cm from below the tie off. Add a bow.Sew the plaits onto the hat, placing them 3cm to the front of the side seam.
Step 7 - adding the hats and noses
Place a hat on each of the gnomes’ heads. The hat trim should just cover the sewing lines of the coat and beard or dress. Adjust the hat trim to allow for a snug fit, pin and remove hat. Step 7A
Sew a button or motive on each side of the hat to secure the trim.Step 7B
Place the hat in position and secure all around with hand stitching, catching the hat edge (under the trim), the coat or beard and a bit of the body with each stitch. Fasten off securely.Step 7C
Place two nose felt pieces together right sides facing, and sew all around. Trim the seam allowance and clip around the curves.Step 7D
Make a small incision on one side in the middle of the heart. Turn the nose out through this hole, and stuff.Step 7E
Sew closed with overhand stitches. Tie off securely, but do not cut the thread. Sew the nose in place – it should just overlap with the hat trim.Voila! Give them each a kiss! :-D
If you can’t get enough of Honey and Babe, check out our other gnome-tastic projects! They adorn these cute appliqué and quilted Valentine’s cushions, and some ScanNCut Valentine’s Day cards too. There’s even a cute gnome embroidery to download and stitch out !
