Felt is one of my very favorite materials to work with, and we have really been getting into a felt stuffie craze here at Lia Griffith HQ. After starting our animal stuffie series with the felt dog, penguin, monkey, and owl, we decided to try something a little more unconventional. My designer Jessica has a real affinity for garden gnomes, so we thought, “Why not!”

This ten inch cutie is the perfect opportunity for a spring DIY project for your porch, garden, or backyard. Start by printing the PDF template below onto regular printer paper and cutting out the different pieces. You can then use these pieces to trace the shapes onto your felt, or to stack on top of your felt as a guide while you are cutting. For his body we decided to go with a lighter blue, and ended up choosing a wool felt blend in Arctic. A fluffy white is best for his beard and eyebrows (my favorite part of this little guy!), and we went with Ivory for his skin. Pick out a cute Blush pink for his cheeks and find some beads for his eyes and nose. Garden gnomes would not be complete without a signature red hat, so for this piece we used the bold red color Carmine. 

After you have all your felt cut and ready to go, sew your pieces together by blanket stitching with coordinating embroidery floss. Garden gnomes can traditionally be a bit round in the tummy, so don’t be shy in stuffing him up with poly-fill. You should be able to find this at any craft store. To give him that extra plush quality, feel free to stuff his beard a bit too! And because I’ve always believed in accessorizing, we decided to give him a little mushroom friend that would look just as adorable in your garden. You will find this pattern included in the PDF template below. For this piece, we used Mushroom and Doe Brown felts.  

Tools

• Craft Scissors
• Low-Temp Hot Glue Gun
• Embroidery Needles
• Stuffing Tool or Chopstick
• Needle Threader (optional)

Materials

• Lia Griffith’s Wool Blend Felt  – Arctic, White, Cherry, Light Peach, Mushroom, Doe Brown, Blush
• Embroidery Floss – DMC Snow White (B5200), Bright Christmas Red (666), Medium Beige Brown (840)
• Craft Eyes – 5mm
• Small Wood Bead
• Polyester Fiber Fill — Lia Griffith Stuffie Puff

Do you notice the needle felted European robin in the background? Of course, we have a tutorial for that too! Pop over here to see how you can do  this needle felting project, which would also be an adorable little trinket for your garden. Make one or make multiple garden gnomes, the world is your oyster! And don’t forget to share your photos with me! If you are dressing up your garden this spring or summer, send your pictures in to hello@liagriffith.com or tag your Instagram photos with the hashtag #DIYDreamingWithLia. I love to see what you’re up to! Cheers ~ Lia & team