In today’s post: Turn a cheap roll of toilet paper into an adorable Christmas gnome.
Did you know that as a teenager I HATED crafts? I actually paid for college working at a craft warehouse, filling orders and thinking I’d never buy any of this stuff, not in a million years. Well, things change. Here we are years later and I’m dreaming up new crafts to make…using rolls of toilet paper.
It all started with the toilet paper pumpkins from last year. People loved them so much that I made toilet paper snowmen this year…and they turned out cuter than I expected. So the obvious next step was to make toilet paper gnomes.
I know. Ridiculous. But also adorable, right?
Toilet Paper Gnomes
These gnomes take a little bit longer to make than the pumpkins or snowmen. You’ll probably want to plan on half an hour for your first gnome (but making your second or third will go faster!).
The nice thing is that toilet paper gnomes are pretty cheap to make! You want to buy the cheapest TP rolls you can find, because this works better with small rolls. I found mine in a 4-pack at Walmart for under a dollar. Nothing gets glued directly to the toilet paper, so you could take the gnome apart and use the TP later if you wish.
How to Make a Christmas Gnome: Supplies
To make a TP roll Christmas gnome, you will need:
Small roll of toilet paper: You want to use the cheapest rolls of toilet paper you can find (check Walmart or the dollar store) – nothing that says Super or Mega. The toilet paper roll should measure approximately 12 inches around (circumference). If yours is larger than that, pull off some of the paper until it measures 12 inches.
1 sheet of red felt: 9×12 inches, sold in the craft section at Walmart or at craft stores
1 sheet of gray felt: 9×12 inches, sold in the craft section at Walmart or at craft stores
Gray yarn: I used a small skein purchased from the dollar store, and it was more than enough for 2 gnomes. You could probably make 5 or 6 gnomes from a normal size skein
1.25 inch wood bead
Hot Glue Gun
Printable Gnome Hat Template (click to download)
2 sheets of card stock
How to make a Christmas Gnome VIDEO
Watch this video to see how to make the gnome. Written instructions follow, but it’s easiest to understand if you watch the video. Please note that if the video isn’t showing up below, that means you are using an ad-blocker. Whitelist this site in order to see the video. I know no one likes to watch ads, but they allow me to create tons of free content for you. Thanks!
How to Make a Christmas Gnome Instructions
Make the Gnome’s Beard:
1 – Cut a 9×12 sheet of gray felt into 3 4 inch strips. Cut one strip exactly in half. Glue one half strip to a full strip to create a strip that is 4 inches high by 13 inches long.
2 – Fold a sheet of 8.5×11 card stock into quarters (or cut a piece of cardboard to 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches). LOOSELY wrap yarn around the card stock the short way. Wrap the yarn around 150 times, being sure to wrap loosely and NOT pull it tight.
3 – Cut through one side of the yarn, creating a bunch of yarn pieces that are approx 8.5 inches tall. Lay them down flat on a table.
4 – Glue the center of the strips to the top of edge of the felt strip. (This is easiest to see in the video.) Put about an inch of hot glue along the top edge of the felt strip, then grab a small handful of yarn and press it down on the glue. You can use a toothpick to press the yarn down if you want to ensure you don’t touch any of the hot glue.
5 – Cover the entire felt strip except for the last inch. Run a line of hot glue across the middle and flip the yarn down to create a double layer of yarn on the felt strip.
Trip any yarn that overhangs the bottom of the felt strip.
Make the Gnome’s Hat:
Print the Gnome Hat template on a sheet of card stock and cut it out (be sure to print at 100% or full size). Hot glue the template to a sheet of red felt.
Cut around the red felt, leaving 1/2 an inch of extra felt down the left side.
Place hot glue down the left side of the card stock and on the extra felt, then curve the hat piece together to create a cone shape. Hold it together for a moment until it is securely glued.
Assemble the Gnome:
Wrap the felt around a small roll of toilet paper and glue it to itself.
Put glue around the bottom inside edge of the hat and place it on the gnome, covering the top of the felt and yarn.
Glue a 1 inch wood bead to the front of the gnome for a nose.
Trim the beard if needed, adding a couple of braids if desired.
Love Christmas crafts? Check out these posts:
Louis says
It’s so easy to make! Thank you for the tutorials!
Jeanette says
Thanks for the tutorial! Just made one for a tree topper and it looks super cute!
I meant thank you last year on your jean quilt tutorial as well. I was looking for a relatively simple, but stylish quilt to make with my mom, who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She had been saving our family’s jeans for years (and i mean YEARS!). She bought a new sewing machine a few years ago with the plan of using it for all sorts of projects, but she just couldn’t use it without any help. I spent a lot of time trying to find something I thought I could manage as a first time sewer and instantly loved the quilt you made. All the pictures and tips were super helpful and we got a lot of compliments! She saved so many jeans I have enough for two more 🙂 So again – a big thank you! Other than having a beautiful quilt now, we got spend a lot of time together making it and the whole process was very therapeutic.
Lydia says
Love this idea, becoming obsessed with gnomes for all seasons. Love the tp idea. Hope there is some ice cream left for you.