Gnome

Last week I shared a birthday present I made for a friend's son, his sibling has a birthday the day after so I needed to get a present made for him too.  Their birthdays are at the end of this month but they came to visit last week, I thought it would be better to have them made by then so I didn't have to post them.  When I am working towards a deadline I always think I have all the time in the world when in reality I never have, I am not the only one am I?  It was a few days before that I realised I had a lot of sewing still to do and not many hours to complete it in.  I did get it made, just, I finished at 3 on the day they were coming they arrived half an hour later!  I had decided on a waldorf doll, one which has the clothes sown on, some call these toddler dolls, I thought it would be a quick one to make.  In the end it was, quick that is, but there were moments when I thought I was running out of time.   The head was made in the traditional waldorf style, this doll has an extra long neck piece which is the main body.

You sew the arm and legs onto the 'sausage' of the body.  I sewed a ribbon round the middle to give it a waist and hide my gathering!

The hands and feet are square pieces of material stuffed and made into balls.  The arms and legs are gathered and sewn onto the hands and feet.

The arms are a rectangular piece of material with a hole cut in the top, it is gathered and sewn round the neck.  The legs and body are another rectangle with a slit cut part way to make the legs, all sewn up and gathered at the waist.

Initially I was going to make this into a little boy doll, complete with hair.  Hair takes a very long time to get right, time was not something I had, so I thought about a hat.

I added a ribbon to the hat too.

When I put it on he was very definitely a gnome and didn't need any hair at all...........

He was hard to wrap up and give away, I hope his recipient likes him.  There is something about him that suggests fun and perhaps a little bit of mischief...............?

I used several books for inspiration and guidance,  for making the head I referred to The Nature Corner this has the best tutorial and pictures, for inspiration Toymaking with Children and for guidance and sizes I used the Doll in a Jumpsuit tutorial from The Children's Year.

I am joining in with Nicole over at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm Craft On, head on over to see what others have been making and creating.......