This needle felted mini gnome is a fun project that ends with a soft and lovable new friend!
A while ago, I did a small dabble into needle felting and then the kit got lost in my craft closet. I do think I have enough raw materials to count as a small supply store by now… But, after a bit of spring cleaning, I was reminded that I had a needle felting kit.
The last time I did this craft; I stuck with a 2-dimensional shaped object. This was because I was just getting used to the stabbing process and I didn’t want to be overambitious at the time. But, at some point, my ambition will always take over. And I wanted to create something with a little more dimension. Well, one to be exact.
Looking through my inspiration / crafting journal, I came across the idea for a mini gnome. This felt like a good small project that had some shape, but the shape wasn’t too complex. Overall, it just felt like the perfect next step in my needle-feeling journey.
Check out the Craft section of MCG for more fun patterns in strings and things or more unlimited ideas.
Supplies
Somehow, needle felting takes more and less supplies than I thought it would. For the mini gnome, I stayed with four colors for the wool roving: pink, green, brown, and white. I wanted to make the gnome more spring like colors, and I think I also wanted some watermelon. Or strawberries. I used a 36-gauge felting needle and had all the protective gear that came with the kit (pillow and finger covers). Remember, these needles are sharp!
Process
The Body
I figured starting with the body was the easiest way to make the mini gnome. After doing a little research, I decided to make a knot out of the wool roving to help create a solid base. I almost immediately regretted it. While this process did help compress the wool roving quickly, it also crafted some creases that I had quite a time trying to get rid of.
A cylinder was my final goal, and I think I achieved that well enough before moving onto the hat. I started doing the piece separate from the body. The hat was just a longer cylinder that came to the point on one end. And then it was time to join the parts together. This is where I got stumped for a bit. Connecting the hat and body seemed like a difficult task. Turned out, it was difficult just time consuming.
Patience is key in this type of project. From what I’ve seen, it’s likely for these projects to look like a mess until they are over 90% complete.
Facial Details
The next step I decided on making for the mini gnome was a nose. I chose brown cause I like having skin color diversity. Especially when it matches me. Since I wanted to create what was effectively a ball, I did want to do separately from the body to start. Getting the main shape down felt like a good approach.
I put the nose right along one of the edges where the hat and body meet. The edge wasn’t exactly even so I picked a spot that looked like the hat came up and around something.
And the final element is a white beard! What is a gnome without a beard? I feel like it’s a requirement. There was a decision on how compact I wanted to make the beard here because a beard being wispy felt like it would feel natural. But I got carried away with the felting needle and it became more shaped than I initially anticipated.
Reflections
Sometimes, I need to do a craft again to remind myself that I am obsessed with it. And this mini gnome was the perfect reminder. There were a few moments when I wanted to add black seeds to the gnome hat and really make it resemble watermelon! But I kept it simple and tried to stab… I mean felt… a piece until I was happy with it.
There are already so many ideas for other projects rushing through my head, and I can’t wait to test them out. Exploring the internet, I feel like the quality and design of needle felt project vary so widely. But seeing what people with skill can do is so impressive. I only hope I can reach that level with enough practice.
Lessons
Watch the Hands!
There needles are very sharp. I know this because of the blood I got on my hand after stabbing myself. Positioning your fingers is important but having a protective cover is even better. Some of these projects will get very complex and fingers might end up in the line of fire. The finger covers really help in projecting fingers and avoiding the situation I was in.
Pattern
Needle Felted Mini Gnome
Equipment
- 1 Felting Needle 36 Gauge
Ingredients
- 2 g Green Roving Wool
- 3 g Pink Roving Wool
- ½ g Brown Roving Wool
- 1 g White Roving Wool
Instructions
- On a Felting pad with proper safety gear, take the green wool roving. Felt in an upward motion toward the base of the mini gnome. Work into a cylindrical shape.
- With the pink roving, felt in an upward motion to create a cylinder with the base the same as the diameter of the green body. On the other end of the pink cylinder, bring the wool together to a point. Continue using an upward felting motion to secure the base with the hat.
- Using the brown roving, create a cylindrical ball. Attach, using the felting needle, along the shared border of the cloak and the hat.
- While the white roving wool is still in a non-manipulated form, felt in an upward motion around the base and slightly up the sides of the nose. Shape as desired.
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