Summer Gnome Dress and Custom Clay Order

     The first time I saw the gnome fabric was when Hayley over at "Welcome to the Mouse House" posted pictures in our sewing group of her daugher's adorable gnome costume.  I loved the dress and wanted to make one for Scarlett.  Of course, being the procrastinator I am, it was months before I bought the fabric, and a few more months before I decided to buckle down and make one.

   I'm so glad I did, though!

     The pattern is the "Olivia Reverse Knot Dress" pattern from Pink Poodle Bows on Etsy.  The PDF file was extremely easy to follow.  I did change the bodice just a TEENY bit so there were no raw seams on the inside (which was totally minor and wouldn't have been bad at all without the change... I just wanted mine like that) and I made the skirt one solid piece instead of adding the border trim.  The pattern is super easy to customize if you'd like and she breaks down all of the steps.

     Keep an eye on my Etsy shop.  Gnome dresses are going to pop up in the future.  (Sizes 6m-3T to start, but custom orders might be possible up to size 11/12.)

    Another recent project was a custom order.  The customer requested a polymer clay figurine set that had Boba Fett shooting a zombie.  I don't watch Star Wars very often (although the boys in my house seem to love it), so I printed off some pictures for reference.  The zombie, however, was a total breeze.  Well, aside from the fact that my imagination ran away from me on several occasions with all of the possibilities.  ;) 

     In the end, they turned out pretty cool.  Although, my opinion may be biased. 

And the zombie.  (Be warned, I'm a huge "Walking Dead" fan so I went a little crazy with the zombie.) 

And the entire thing all together:

     Giving serious consideration to making a few Star Wars and zombie ornaments for Christmas.  *laughing*  :)

I'll be gnome for Christmas...

I love mail.  Going to the mailbox is like a mini-Christmas everyday.  I especially love it when I get catalogs, it's the laziest form of window shopping there is.

Flipping through the most recent "West Elm" catalog, I came across this:

West Elm Gnome Ornament $7



   I thought it was adorable, but it only came in red.  I figured I'd make my own.

Things you'll need:

Felt (2 colors)

Embroidery Thread (I used white, green, and black.  I think on the next one I would just use the white around the borders, though, more closely matching the West Elm version.)

Scrap of yarn

Needle

Scissors

Pins

Scrap paper

Step 1- Cut out the general shape of the gnome using a piece of paper and pin it to a folded piece of felt.  Cut around the template so you have both a front and a back piece.

Front and back piece cut out with template still attached.

Step 2- Cut beard and eyeball oval out of white felt.  You can cut a template out of paper first if you'd like (I did) to get the size right so you're not accidentally wasting felt.

Step 3- Sew beard and eyeball oval to front piece of felt using two strands of embroidery thread.

Step 4- Embroider eyes and mouth using black embroidery thread.  I did two French knots for the eyes, wrapping the thread around 4 times for a larger knot.  The mouth was stitched straight across and secured in the middle to kind of give him a "happy" look. 

French knot eyeballs.

Step 5-  Tie your scrap of yarn so you have a loop the length you'd like the ornament to hang.  Optional: Then, embroider the back piece of felt with your initials in whatever color you'd like.  I embroidered my initials in black on the foot.

Step 6- Start sewing the front and back together, securing the loop of yarn at the top of the hat in-between the stitches.  I used a whip stitch on this one, but might try a running stitch next time.  Good thing about the gnome is it's super easy and any mistakes just make it more whimsical.  ;)

    When you get about an inch away from closing up the gnome, stuff it with a little bit of polyfill.  Finish closing.

Finished!

  I plan on making two more.  A red one for Cam, and a pink one for Scarlett. 

  Coming soon... polymer clay Christmas piggies.