Do you know what is better than making little wood peg doll
gnomes?
Making GIANT wood peg doll gnomes!
I made and donated a giant (well, according to the store. I was
looking for the biggest I could get) peg doll gnome that looks like
the character I play at renaissance fairs and Christmas festivals and
donated it to a charity silent auction.
My giant peg doll gnome makes a cute decoration (whether for
Christmas or for everyday home decor,) a quick DIY gift idea, or toy
depending upon how you decorate the peg doll base. Let’s make!
In Denmark, they call gnomes nisse and that’s
where I took the name for my gnome character Nissa.
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How to Make DIY Christmas Gnomes
You will need the following craft supplies:
Large wood peg doll – Wood peg dolls come in all
shapes and sizes. I bought the largest wood pegs I found here. They
come in both female and male shape peg dolls.
Personally, I would buy these big peg dolls if I were painting peg
dolls to be used as toys for young children because they are not the
potential choking hazard as these2 inch peg dolls most people use to make toys.
Red felt or fabric scraps
White fabric (I am using
fabric I have left over from making Nissa’s aprons)
Thread
Fabric glue
Sewing machine (optional)
Scissors
Glue – I used E6000 Fabric Fuse (learn
more about my BFF E6000 Fabric Fuse here) to ensure
the hat and apron will remain on the peg doll forever.
Mod Podge – Learn more about the Mod Podge Matte formula I used here
Craft paint
Paint brushes
(Disclosure: I am including affiliate links in this post
for your convenience.)
Step by Step Gnome Peg Doll Toy Tutorial
1. Use the craft paint and paint brush to paint the body of
the peg doll as simply or elaborately as you like. I am not a
confident enough miniature painter to attempt the detailed embroidery
on Nissa’s costume (there is a reason why I sew more often than I
do detailed craft paint projects.) I painted the peg doll body/dress
blue. I painted the base yellow to represent my yellow wood clogs.
Everyone always notices and comments on my crazy footwear!
I was wearing clogs before they were cool. Photo courtesy of
Steven Kohus 2. I waited for the paint on the body to dry before I
painted the head with this exact Sun Kissed Peach Apple Barrel craft paint.
3. While I waited for the paint to dry, I cut a triangle
from red felt with a pair of scissors and rolled the triangle fabric
into a cone.
I sewed the hat seam in place and turned the hat right
side out for a more professional look but you can glue the seam
of the hat as in the photo above if you like.
4. Since
this is for a fundraiser, I took making the peg doll’s apron up a
notch. Instead of painting
the apron onto the doll, I sewed
Nissa’s name on the apron since it is too small to recreate the
embroidery on my costume by hand or machine.
After I sewed
the name in red thread, I cut the fabric into a rectangle, folded
over the edges, and used this exact fabric glue (you
can learn more about the Unique Stitch Stitchless Sewing Liquid I used here ) to
hold the hems in
place.
Next, I cut a long rectangle for
the apron’s tie, folded the raw
edges into the center,
folding the fabric in half
and pinned the apron into
the center of the fabric tie, and sewed it into place.
Tip: I made the tie much
longer than I knew I would probably need since I planned on cutting
the ties to size after fitting it onto
the peg doll.
If you don’t want to sew, you
can use Mod Podge (you can learn more about Mod Podge Fabric Formula here ) to glue
the apron to the wood peg doll
4. Glue the felt hat onto the gnome’s head with E6000
Fabric Fuse and use the paint brush and craft paint to paint 2 dots
for eyes on the face of the peg doll. You can paint a more elaborate
face, hair, etc. if you like.
Tip: The easiest way to paint the eyes is to use the end of
the paint brush as a dotting tool.
5. Once the paint and glue is dry, seal the peg doll with a
coat of Mod Podge Matte Formula and a paint brush.
6. Once the Mod Podge is dry, tie the fabric apron on to
the wood peg doll and trim the ends of the apron with a pair of
scissors if applicable.
Tip: I applied a few dots of E6000 Fabric Fuse to the waist
band of the apron so it will not fall off my peg doll gnome. E6000 is
made to permanently glue two different types of surfaces together
which is why I I used it to glue the fabric clothes to the wood peg
doll.
My Mini Me!
Rather buy than DIY? Check out the following gnome craft
kits – and more! - below!
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