Ugly Christmas Sweater Gnomes with Fairfield World

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Creating Ugly Christmas Sweater Gnomes was the perfect solution to my recent trip to Goodwill in search of sweaters to upcycle. I know that you have seen all of the cute and woodsy Gnomes out there, but I like to stand out and not blend in. Since I live in Florida the pickings were mighty slim, but I was able to find a red cable knit and a “pretty” Christmas sweater AND I even received a senior citizen discount for being over 50 years old. Don't be jealous!  Fairfield World makes the BEST products for stuffing all the Gnomes including Poly-Fil and Poly Pellets.

Let's Create a pair of Christmas Sweater Gnomes!

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Here's What you need to make upcycled Sweater Gnomes:

• Fairfield World Poly-Fil
• Fairfield World Poly Pellets
• FREE PATTERNS – download below ⇓
• Recycled Sweaters, one solid and one plain
• Fake Fur – white
• Chenille Yarn – white
• Cotton Lace – forest green
• Wooden Plugs – 1″ in diameter (2)
• Ribbon – Red, two 12″ lengths
• Chenille Stems, two per gnome
• Sewing Machine and Thread (this Singer is a great all-purpose machine!)
• Straight Pins
• Scissors – Fiskars are my favorite!
• Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
• Ruler
• Permanent Marker – Tombow MONOTWIN is the best!
• Tape
• Chopstick or Pencil
• Plastic Zipper Bags – Snack Size, two

How to Make Christmas Gnomes from Ugly Sweaters:

STEP ONE

Wash and dry sweaters from the second-hand store. Cut sweaters apart at their seams and remove the bands and sleeves. Print out the Gnome Patterns below cut them out with scissors and assemble the hat with tape.

Fold sweater sections in half, line up patterns on folds, as indicated, and pin patterns in place with straight pins.  I used the red cable knit for the gnome body and the ugly Christmas sweater for the gnome hat.

STEP TWO

Cut out two bodies and one hat pattern for each gnome. Remove straight pins and patterns.

Line up sweater pieces with right sides together, facing in, and pin them together. Since the sweater is bulky, place the pins close together.

STEP THREE

Sew body and hat pieces together on a sewing machine, using the presser foot as the seam allowance. Leave a four-inch section open at the top of the gnome body and the base of the gnome hat open for stuffing.

Turn the body and hat pieces right side out.  Use a chopstick to get into the smaller areas. Don't push too hard or the chopstick will break through the knit of the sweater.

STEP FOUR

Fill two snack-size plastic zipper bags with Poly Pellets using the handy pour spout that is built into the package.

Place the zipper bags of Poly Pellets into the base of each gnome.

STEP FIVE

Stuff the gnome's body with Poly-Fil using a chopstick to get into the corners. Make sure to stuff around the bag of Poly Pellets.

Twist two chenille stems together at the top and position them inside the gnome hat. The wire in the chenille stems will allow you to position the point of the hats. Stuff the hats with Poly-Fil, using a chopstick to get into the corners.

STEP SIX

Secure the top opening of the gnome's bodies closed with a glue gun and glue sticks.

STEP SEVEN

Trace the beard pattern on the back of the fake fur and then carefully cut it out to retain the length of the fur.

Attach the beard to the top center of the boy gnome's body with a glue gun.

STEP EIGHT

Cut nine lengths of chenille yarn that are twelve inches long each, lay them out on your work surface, and tie them at the top with another piece of yarn. Separate yarn into three groups of three strands each, braid then secure at the bottom with another piece of yarn. Repeat, making a second braid.

Attach to the top right and top left of the girl gnome's body with a glue gun.

STEP NINE

Glue hats to gnome bodies with a glue gun and glue sticks.

STEP TEN

To finish, glue forest green cotton lace to the bottom edge of both gnome hats.

Accent girl gnome braids with red ribbons tied in a bow.

Attach wooden noses to both gnomes, just under the edge of the hats with a glue gun.

Here is a detailed photo of the boy Gnome…

And the girl Gnome…

Upcycled Ugly Christmas Sweater Gnomes

I hope you have enjoyed my Ugliest Christmas Sweater Gnomes and that you will use my tutorial as a jumping-off point to showcase YOUR Fairfield World creativity! With a wide variety of stuffings, pellets, weighted blankets, pillow forms, quilt batting and more the makers of Poly-Fil have you covered for all of your crafting needs! For a TON of inspiration, check out the Fairfield Instagram account and Facebook page. I was able to make three pairs of Ugly Christmas Sweater Gnomes from the two upcycled sweaters. Christmas presents done early – CHECK!

For even more Christmas inspiration, check out my Oh Christmas Tree Pillow and A Trio of Felt Christmas Trees both featuring one of my favorite companies, Fairfield World. I love me some CHRISTMAS TREES!

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Too busy to make these DIY Gnomes from Upcycled Ugly Christmas Sweaters right now? Pin it for later!  I'd love for you to pin this project to your favorite craft board on Pinterest and then it’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.

Thanks for stopping by!