Super Easy to Make Cute Norwegian Christmas Gnomes

I made these Norwegian Christmas Gnomes (Nisse) not just because my husband is part Norwegian, but also because they are so cute and easy to make. Along with red hearts, you will see these Christmas gnomes decorating Nordic homes over the festive season.

This Christmas craft ticked a lot of boxes for me, it was ridiculously quick and easy, cost almost next to nothing to make and is a super cute decoration.

These gnomes were an almost no-sew project and I just used upcycled and natural materials to make them. The only bit of sewing is to make the felt hat. But if you really want a completely no-sew project then you can use glue to make the hat instead.

Upcycled No-Sew Norwegian Christmas Gnomes in 10 Minutes

In fact, these Norwegian Christmas Gnomes are so cute I decided to make a whole family of them. They will sit proudly on my mantle along with all my other Christmas nature decorations.

I made these Christmas gnomes small enough to sit on my mantle. But I think they would look really good scaled up in size. You could use logs instead of branches to do this.

There are some wonderful vintage illustrations of Scandinavian gnomes here, with more information about their origin and traditions. There are also some cute vintage pictures of Gnome with this free Scandinavian Christmas Card collection. 

You’ll also find more cool adult Christmas crafts here.

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What you need to make Norwegian Christmas Gnomes

• A branch you will need one of a diameter of at least 2.5cm. The main thing is that when you cut the branch to a height between 8-10cm it will easily stand upright on its end. As I already mentioned though you can go as big as you like with this craft.
• Felted sweater scraps in Christmas colours, (see here how to felt wool sweaters) . No old sweaters, no worries! Just use thick red craft felt. If you are making small Norwegian Christmas gnomes like mine you literally only need scraps of felt.
• Faux sheepskin/fur. I used the corner of an old faux sheepskin waistcoat I had. You can buy scraps of faux fur fabric in craft shops or eBay.
• Cream felt balls for the nose or a wooden bead would work just as well
• Silver craft bell for the hat
• White craft glue

How to Make A Norwegian Christmas Gnome

Step 1: The first thing you are going to need to do is to saw your branch to the height you would like your Christmas gnome ornament.

The bottom of the cut branch needs to be flat so that it stands up on its own. The top will need to be sawn at roughly a 45-degree angle. As I was making 3 Christmas gnomes at a time I cut the branch into 3 bits all slightly different lengths between 8-12cm approximately.

Step2: Next, make the felt cap. To do this simply cut the sweater felt into a tall triangle the base of which is the same circumference as the cut branch.

Fold the felt piece longways and glue (or stitch) the sides together to form a cap. Attach a silver bell to the pointed top of the felt cap.

Step 3: Next, put the cap onto the top of the branch. Then, stick the felt (or wood bead) nose onto the flat face, using craft glue.

Step 4: Finally, add the beard to the Christmas gnome by cutting a triangle of faux fur and glueing it to the branch.

That’s it, these no-sew gnomes only take 10 minutes to make, if that! This craft is so easy, it’s a great one to get the kids to make.

I love to have 3 of these Norwegian Christmas Gnomes displayed together, like one happy Nordic family! I’ve ended up making lots more, as they have been requested by friends and family.

Some I have made small to sit on the mantle. But I have made larger no-sew gnomes, that sit in the fireplace and are a couple of feet tall. I used a bigger craft bell for those ones.

If you liked these gnomes you should check out my Christmas elf. Or all my other upcycled and repurposed Christmas crafts.

For more Christmas gnome ideas visit allfreechristmascrafts.com