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Let’s see… I managed to drop my phone in the toilet and then had to get a new one. I took on a job that I literally had to do over and over again because I didn’t get very good directions on how to do it until I was told that I had done it wrong each time I turned it in, which was so frustrating. I was out and about getting supplies for work when my purse broke and I purchased a new one at Target that was SO CUTE that broke as I was paying at the very next store I went to so that I had to go BACK to Target to return it when I was already freaking out over time. I then went with Rob to buy my first “high quality” purse, which basically means an expensive bag, I guess, at Dillard’s with the very generous gift my parents gave me for Christmas. And at first it was fun but soon I freaked out at the thought of spending big money (for me over $100 which is probably laughable to most!) on a purse and wound up getting one of their apparently “lower end” purses from the clearance section instead. And I basically reinforced my knowledge that I am super cheap. I got a cold sore from the stress of it all and then a chemical burn type of thing from using too many meds when they were sold out of my preferred salve and I wound up trying a good several other options, none of which seemed to be working, turning my cold sore into a whole ‘nother kind of pain in the rear.
But in the end, even though it has been a rather crap-tactic week, I found, as I always seem to, that the world is still turning and none of it really mattered anyway. And one of the good things that did happen were these adorable pompom gnomes I made. They took a bit longer than I had planned, largely because I trimmed pompoms for far longer than strictly necessary, but they’re still one of my favorite ornaments on my homemade Christmas tree.
Want me to quit my bitching and make some pompom gnome Christmas ornaments with the sweetest little felt hats? Well, then, let’s get it!
For this project you will need:
- Clover Pompom Maker (large size)
- White yarn
- Hot glue gun
- Felt sheets
- Embroidery floss & needle
- Free printable felt hat pattern
- Nose pompoms (mine are 1 inch)
First thing’s first, print your free felt hat pattern, 1 for each hat you will be making.
Cut out your felt pieces, one for the brim and one for the hat.
Quick tip, you can place the hat piece in the corner of a felt sheet and not have to cut straight sides. Smart, right? Another tip, you can totally scrap bust your felt pieces with this project (I did!)
Using embroidery floss back-stitch along the top edge of your brim onto the bottom of your hat piece.
Once you’ve reached the end turn over and blanket stitch the 2 pieces of felt together.
Fold your hat over to make a cone shape and hot glue together.
With the front side facing you, fold the hat over like you see here and hot glue into place. This prevents the gnomes from being super tall and this step is optional.
Create some little pompoms to match your embroidery floss stitching using a fork (tutorial to come soon!).
Trim your pompoms to be nice and symmetrical and hot glue onto the end of the hat.
Add your nose pompom by gluing to the inside brim, front and center on the hat. (I used 1 inch store bought because I have tons pink ones BUT you can also make these from yarn if you prefer).
Now after I made 2 hats I realized that it is much easier to hot glue the nose pom onto the underside of the brim before you roll it and glue it into a cone, but doing it this way on the first will help you understand the placement of the pom for future hats.
Make a white pompom (like a gnomes beard, get it?) with a Clover large pompom maker. Very fluffy yarn like Homeown USA works SUPER WELL and is so soft and fluffy. And it doesn’t hurt that they sell it for about $3 a skein at Walmart. One skein will make 4 very fluffy pompoms but plan some time for this if you want them to be super symmetrical… Four took me the entire duration of the movie The Hot Chick. Don’t judge. Need help? Learn how to make pompoms with a Clover Pompom Maker here.
When making your pompoms and tying them off (I suggest using crochet thread for a super tight and secure pom) leave a tail from at least one of the ends that is a good 6-8 inches.
Use the tail to thread a needle. Run the thread through the center of the hat and out through the back of the felt about an inch above the brim piece.
Tie a loop to act as a hanger. Use a dab of hot glue around the inside of the brim and on the back side of the nose pom and shove it down into the pom for a nice and super cute fit.
And that, my friends is that. Doesn’t it make sense that these hairy little cuties would be the thing that turned my week from upside down to sunny? SO CUTE!
