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October 22, 2021 By Brandy 11 Comments

Home » Craft Tutorials » Kids Crafts

Sock Gnomes (Easy No Sew Tutorial + Video!)

Filed Under: Craft Tutorials, Holidays, Kids Crafts

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Our no sew sock gnomes are so cute and easy! They take less than 10 minutes to make and can be made with many different sock prints! This post contains affiliate links.

You might also like our sock snowmen! If you’re looking for a fun holiday craft for kids check out our paper cone Santa, our model magic ornaments or our thumbprint reindeer ornament! 

two sock gnomes on table

Watch our step by step video!

two sock gnomes on a table

DIY Sock Gnomes (no Sew)

Looking for a quick and easy craft to brighten a shelf? These sock gnomes are just the thing. They take less than 10 minutes to make and are so fun. The best part? There’s no sewing involved, minimal supplies and can be made from any adult crew sock! You can totally make mini gnomes from kids socks, but this one is intended to be made using an adult sock and includes a printable beard template!

My girls love gnomes. We found some cute ones at Target last year and put them on the shelf in the kitchen. Now they can make their own for any holiday or occasion. How fun would these be for a craft night? Everyone would go home with their own gnome to add to their holiday decor. In February, grab some pink and red socks to make Valentine’s Day gnomes!

two sock gnomes on table

Best Socks To Use for Sock Gnomes

Solid socks work great for the gnome’s body. I love these ones. This is a great project for mis matched socks!

It’s fun to use printed socks for the gnome’s hat. I found mine at Target for $3 a pair. Walmart and Dollar Tree also sell inexpensive patterned socks. Crew socks work the best for sock gnomes. The banded edge is perfect for the hat since it’s a finished edge and squeezes onto the gnome head just right. If you’d like a long, droopy, hat that folds over you can use a knee high sock. You can use an ankle sock for the body, but definitely use a crew sock for the hat. 

You only need one sock from each pair so save the others for a second gnome!

After making this project you’ll have two unmatched socks. Save them for a later date or make a couple of extra gnomes to give as gifts.

red and black sock gnome on table

Sock Gnome Supplies

sock gnome supplies: scissors, felt, socks, stuffing, rice, wood bead

One solid adult crew sock: for the body.

One patterned adult crew sock: for the hat.

Rice: can also use dry beans. This will give the gnome a bit of weight, making it stand easily. Check out the jar method for filling the sock with rice. It’s definitely easier than scooping rice into the sock with a spoon and even faster than using a funnel.

Pillow stuffing (Polyfil): Just a bit to add on top of the rice. You can use all rice, but the more rice you use the heavier the gnome will be. I like using about 2/3 rice and 1/3 pillow stuffing for my gnomes. If you don’t have pillow stuffing you can use scrap fabric or cotton balls. I save the stuffing from my old throw pillows for craft projects like this.

Hair ties or rubber band: These are used to tie off the socks. You can also tie off the ends with string, but I like using hair ties.

Wood bead or half bead: You can use a wooden bead, half bead, or pom pom for the nose. I prefer using half beads. They don’t have holes in the sides like beads, and sit nice and flush. I ordered them from Amazon, but you can find wood beads at your local craft store like Hobby Lobby or Joann.

Felt: One thing that makes our little gnomes different than other is the face that we don’t use craft fur. Felt is something that I always have on hand, it’s $.25 a sheet and you can easily get 4 beards from one sheet. Easier to find and cheaper than faux fur.

Printable beard pattern: feel free to print out our cutting template to use for the beard.

Scissors

Hot glue/hot glue gun

black sock gnome

Sock Gnome Tutorial

Make sure to watch our step by step video for the best visual instructions! 

Print
5 from 4 votes

No Sew Sock Gnomes

Our no sew sock gnomes are so cute and easy! They take less than 10 minutes to make and can be made with many different sock prints! 
Prep Time2 mins
Active Time5 mins
Total Time7 mins
Yield: 1 gnome
Cost: under $5

Equipment

  • scissors
  • hot glue gun

Materials

  • 1 adult sock for body (crew)
  • 1 adult sock for hat (crew)
  • 1 1/2 cups rice
  • pillow stuffing
  • 2 hair ties
  • 1 half wooden ball (or pom pom or wooden bead)
  • felt
  • cutting template for beard
  • 1 pencil (optional)

Instructions

  • Fill a jar or cup with rice.
    jar of white rice
  • Slide the body sock sock over jar, turn jar over to allow sock to fill with rice.
    Pull jar out of sock.
    jar of rice inside sock
  • Add a couple of handfuls of pillow stuffing on top of rice. The sock should measure 6-7" from the bottom to the top of the pillow stuffing.
    sock filled with rice
  • Secure opening with hair tie.
    Cut off excess sock.
    sock filled with rice and tied off with hair tie
  • Cut hat sock as shown, cutting just before the ankle. Set foot portion to the side (can use to make another gnome sometime). You'll be using the side with the finished edge band.
    scissors cutting foot off of sock
  • Turn piece with edge band inside out. Gather cut (unfinished) end and secure with a hair tie. Trim of excess.
    scissors trimming sock hat
  • Turn right side out. You should now have a gnome body and a gnome hat.
    sock hat and sock body
  • Cut out a felt beard using the cutting template. Glue beard onto the front of the gnome.
    felt beard being glued onto gnome
  • This step is optional, but if you'd like your hat to stand up nice and tall, insert a pencil into the opening of the body. It should stick out a couple of inches. You can add a bit of hot glue around it to keep it in place.
    pencil in center of sock gnome
  • Slide hat over pencil. Arrange the hat so that the top is pointy and touching the top of the pencil.
    red sock hat on gnome
  • Glue the nose onto the front of the gnome.
    wooden ball nose glued onto gnome
  • Add a few dots of hot glue under the hat to keep it in place.
    hot glue attaching hat on sock gnome
  • Admire your adorable gnomes.
    red and black sock gnome on table

Video

Notes

These gnomes can be made with any adult crew socks.
 
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About Brandy

Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com without any additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sandra says

    November 10, 2021 at 4:50 pm

    Awesome.

    Reply
  2. waqas says

    November 18, 2021 at 10:43 am

    wow amazing..

    Reply
  3. Laurie says

    December 10, 2021 at 12:02 am

    5 stars
    Love this! Doing these adorable gnomes with my daughters class for their winter party! Thanks for sharing ☺️

    Reply
    • Brandy says

      December 10, 2021 at 10:15 am

      Oh how fun! What a great mom—I hope they have a blast making them!!

      Reply
  4. DJ says

    January 15, 2022 at 9:31 am

    5 stars
    I have to make some of these. I have some white fur I want to use instead of felt.

    Reply
  5. Denise Horsley says

    October 17, 2022 at 9:41 am

    How big of a half of wooden ball do you use.

    Reply
    • Brandy says

      October 17, 2022 at 10:21 am

      Hi Denise! These are the exact ones that I used: https://amzn.to/3CayzKJ I think I used the 22mm ones, but there are a few different sizes in this package and the 25mm would work too.

      Reply
      • Denise Horsley says

        October 18, 2022 at 10:20 pm

        Thanks, I just these. I think I will have my Granddaughters help me make them.

        Reply
        • Brandy says

          October 18, 2022 at 10:34 pm

          That sounds like fun! What a sweet grandma!

          Reply
  6. Bonnie says

    November 8, 2022 at 12:37 pm

    Sock gnomes are adorable. I have a question. What kind of hair ties do you use? Not having any girls, I’m not familiar with hair ties. Many of ties I found were not reusable, so not a good option for this. Thanks for sharing your creativity.

    Reply
    • Brandy says

      November 8, 2022 at 2:20 pm

      I just used inexpensive ones from Walmart. They come in clear or colored. It doesn’t really matter since you won’t see them anyway once the gnome is finished. You can also tie it off with string or yarn instead of using hair elastics if you’d like.

      Reply

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I'm Brandy! I live in Virginia with my husband, 5 kids, black lab, and chickens. I love to craft and bake and share it all with you! MORE ABOUT ME

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