Easy Pinecone Gnomes Tutorial
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Discover the charming world of DIY Pinecone Gnomes and learn how to create these delightful decorations for your Christmas tree or home.
This simple holiday craft requires only a few materials, making it a perfect project for festive craft enthusiasts!
Have you noticed that Christmas gnomes are everywhere this holiday season? These adorable little creatures have taken the holiday décor world by storm for good reason.
They are adorable!
Pinecone Gnomes: Adorable and Easy to Make
There is nothing I love more than getting comfy in my cutest holiday loungewear, sipping on a warm cup of hot chocolate, and diving into my craft supplies to create something cute for the season.
Pinecone Gnomes are not only precious, but they’re also astonishingly easy to make!
With just a few basic craft supplies, you can create these festive gnomes that blend with your Christmas decor. These nature-inspired ornaments look so cute on a mantle, nestled within a centerpiece, or hanging from the branches of your Christmas tree.
Customize Your Gnome for Any Holiday
These adorable pinecone gnomes make the perfect addition to your home and an excellent gift for friends and family. Just choose fabrics for the hats that match your existing decorations or color scheme, and your gnomes will blend right in and enhance your festive atmosphere!
Gnomes aren’t just for Christmas; you can adjust the fabric and turn the gnomes into seasonal mascots for any holiday. Imagine a pinecone gnome sporting a heart-patterned hat for Valentine’s Day or showing off its patriotic spirit with red, white, and blue attire for the summer holidays! (These Halloween gnomes may be my favorite, lol.)
Turn your gnomes into tree ornaments
How cute would a set of tiny Christmas Gnomes be hanging from your tree? This 40-piece set of pinecones from Amazon has seven different size pinecones. To make smaller pinecone gnome ornaments, you could slip a loop of twine, yarn, or ribbon through the tip of the hat before attaching the hat to the pinecone.
Pin this project for later.
DIY Pinecone Gnome Tutorial
To help you make these charming holiday decorations, I’ve included a step-by-step tutorial below, and in less than 30 minutes, you can create a houseful of gnomes to delight your family and guests.
Supplies needed
- Pinecones | 3 to 4 inches pine cones work best. I bought these on Amazon, unscented and bug-free. You can use either unscented or scented pinecones. You can also find pinecones at just about any craft store, Amazon, or outdoors. If using pinecones you found outside, be sure to check for any bugs! I recommend rinsing and drying off the pinecones if they are not store-bought.
- White faux fur: I used white craft fur. You can trim the fur to get the desired shape of the beard for your gnome. This grayish fur is also cute.
- Fabric: I used 100% cotton fabric I found at Micheals for my gnome hats. You can use felt or other types of material if you prefer. This would also be a great way to upcycle old holiday sweaters.
- Pom poms: Small, beige, or pink pompoms (for the nose) and white pompoms for the hat. Wood beads or other wooden balls would work as well.
- Material to fill the gnome hat | Newspaper, leftover fabric, tissue paper, or a plastic grocery sack all work well.
- Hot glue and a hot glue gun
- Ruler, pencil, and scissors
Tips, tricks, and FAQs for this Pinecone Gnome Craft
What type of fabric is best for the hats?
Just about any fabric with a tight weave will work. Flannel, wool, cotton, felt, and even upcycled holiday sweaters!
What can I use for the gnome beards?
Long-haired faux fur looks the best (this one even comes in a roll and is marketed to gnome crafts, lol), but you could use yarn, moss (for a more natural element), white fabric, and wool felt. I also found this set of precut beards and noses already put together for crafting.
What size pinecone is best
Pinecones come in all different shapes and sizes. For this craft, I recommend a 3 to 4-inch tall pine cone that is not too skinny or too wide. (Mine were about 3 inches tall and 2 inches wide.) Similar to these.
Can I use other sizes of pinecones?
Yes. Just make sure to adjust the hat size. If you have smaller sizes of pinecones (about two inches), a length of seven inches is recommended for the hat instead of ten inches. And for large pinecones (taller than four inches), twelve inches is a good length.
What can I do if the pinecone gnome will not stand up straight?
Before starting, test your pinecones to ensure they stand up straight. You can pull off some pieces at the bottom of the pinecone gnome or carefully cut with scissors to get the pinecone more leveled. You could also add a bit of glue to help level the pinecone out.
How to Make Pinecone Gnomes:
1. Make the Beard.
To make the beard, cut the white craft fur in a rectangular shape at the same height and width as the pinecone. Glue the beard with a hot glue gun, near the top of the pinecone, to cover 2/3 of one side of the pinecone.
2. Make the Hat.
1. To measure the size of the hat, wrap the fabric around the pinecone so the fabric covers the upper 2/3 of the pinecone. Add 1/2 inch, and make a small cut with scissors.
2. Fold the fabric over, right sides together, to just where you cut the fabric in step 2. Measure a length of 10 inches from the bottom. Draw a line at the 10-inch mark.
3. Place the upper half of the pinecone on the end of the fabric where you cut the fabric in step 2. Draw a diagonal line from the left of the mark you made in step 3 to the right of the pinecone where the tip ends.
4. Cut a straight line up to the tip of the pinecone, and then follow the diagonal line you drew.
5. With the fabric still inside out, run a line of glue along the long sides with a hot glue gun. (You could also use a needle and thread to sew the hat together if you prefer.)
6. When the glue has dried, turn the hat right side out. Stuff the hat with crumpled newspaper or other material. Fill it with more material if you want the top to stand up straight and less if you prefer the top bent down.
3. Add the hat to the gnome
Pull the hat over the pinecone and part of the beard. Glue it on. Glue a pom pom where the hat meets the beard (for the nose) and one on the top of the hat.
Get creative with your DIY pinecone gnomes and enjoy crafting these whimsical ornaments that can brighten up your holiday décor or make thoughtful, handmade gifts for loved ones. Happy crafting!
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Feedly, Bloglovin', your favorite feed reader, or signing up via email and have new posts delivered to your email box each week!Easy Pinecone Gnomes Tutorial
DIY Pinecone Gnomes are adorable! Learn how to create these delightful decorations for your Christmas tree or home. This simple holiday craft requires only a few materials, making it a perfect project for festive craft enthusiasts!
Materials
- Pinecones 3-4 inches tall
- White craft fur (for the beard)
- Fabric
- Pom poms, small, white, and beige
- Ruler (or measuring tape)
- Scissors
- Hot glue sticks and a hot glue gun
- Pencil
- Newspaper or other material to stuff the hat
Instructions
- To make the beard, cut the white craft fur in a rectangular shape at the same height and
width as the pinecone. Glue the beard with a hot glue gun to cover 2/3 of one side of the
pinecone. - To get the correct hat size, wrap the fabric around the pinecone so the fabric covers the
upper 2/3 of the pinecone. Add 1/2 inch, and make a small cut with scissors. - Fold the fabric inside out to where you cut the fabric in step 2. Measure a length of 10
inches from the bottom. Draw a line at the 10-inch mark. - Place the upper half of the pinecone on the end of the fabric where you cut the fabric in
step 2. Draw a diagonal line from the left of the mark you made in step 3 to the right of
the pinecone where the tip ends. - Cut a straight line up to the tip of the pinecone, and then follow the diagonal line you
drew. - With the fabric still inside out, glue together the long sides with a hot glue gun.
- When the glue has dried (about 10 minutes), turn the hat right side out. Use the back of
a pencil to reverse the fabric. - Stuff the hat with crumpled newspaper. Fill it with more newspaper if you want the top to
stand up and less if you prefer the top to be bent down. - Pull the hat over the pinecone and part of the beard. Glue it on.
- Glue a pom pom where the hat meets the beard and one on the top of the hat.
