Who doesn’t love a sock gnome?  They are just so quick and easy to make and they look just adorable.  I made some last year to decorate my house but thought it was time to have some steampunk sock gnomes. If you follow my blog you know I am steampunk mad so this just had to happen. Each steampunk sock gnome was given his own unique steampunk hat and styling.

This post also happens to be my first post as part of the ‘Do It Over’ Designers blog hop.  We are a group of bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/DIY, so I feel honoured to be invited to join them.   I’m so happy to host this blog hop and hope you’ll visit everyone to see what they have to share with you.  I have listed their links at the end of this post.

How to make a Steampunk Sock Gnomes

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Making the gnomes body

You can buy a new pair of ankle socks to make this project, but I just raided my husband sock drawer and found a black pair.  First, it is a good idea to add some weight to your sock gnome.  It was a pain in the butt having the gnome falling over all the time while trying to decorate it.  I used a large balloon and added some sand from my niece’s unique sandpit that I made her.

Next, I added some polystyrene balls, this will allow you to add some shape to the gnome. I then stuffed the balloon into the sock and add some filling from an old cushion to fill out the body.  You can tie a knot in the sock or add some hot glue.

Making the nose

To make the noses for the sock gnome you can add a wooden bead or any round object.

I used some clay and just rolled them into balls and left them to dry in the sun while I make the gnomes.

Making the beards and moustaches

I used grey Mongolian faux fur and white fur to make these. Any fur will work I just find Mongolian fur has a nicer look.

Measure around your gnome to get the size of the piece of fur you need. The shape you need is similar to a triangle, the shorter side going around the back as hair.  To cut the fur you will need to use a craft knife or sharp blade.  If you use scissors you will cut the fur and spoil the look. Using the knife cut from the back cutting only the lining.

I used hot glue to attach the beards to the sock.

You don’t want the nose to keep falling off, so it is a good idea to trim the fur before adding the nose. You can have some fun in this step styling the beards and moustaches. For the sock gnome with the two-toned fur, I parted the fur and glued the white in between the grey.

Making the leather outfit

My original idea was to make two male gnomes and one female.  But she proved to be a pain in the butt so in the end she got a beard and became a HE.  Getting the hair right was just impossible for me. So this outfit was made with a female in mind. I used some scraps of faux leather left over from my Steampunk mannequin to make the outfit. You can add some shoelace eyelets to the leather to make it look like a corset.

I added some leather laces to the eyelets to resemble a lace-up corset.

The rest of the outfit was embellishments for my mixed media stash. I had to remove some of the girly charms which covered the leather and this caused some damage.  I ended up painting the outfit with black gesso and rubbing bronze wax paste over the surface. This I hoped, would make it look more manly.

Making the hats

You can use cardboard to make the hats.  I wanted mine to look a better quality so I added some self-adhesive felt. Cut out a circle using cardboard making sure to have some overhang to cover the nose. Next, cut a strip of cardboard for the band of the hat, repeat this step this time using the self-adhesive felt. Roll the band into a circle and tape it in place.

Using a craft knife cut the cardboard centre into pizza slices like the image below.

Place the band over the base and glue the pizza slices to the inside of the band.

You will need a sharp craft knife to cut out the circle in the felt.  You will use the cut out to cover the top of the hat. The tape on the self-adhesive felt can now be removed and cover the cardboard with the felt. To secure the top you can add some tape on the inside or some hot glue.

Decorating the hats

I decorated the hats using  Steampunk charms and broken jewellery.

To make the steampunk goggles I used some washers I had in my workshop. And glued them together to look like googles.

For a more realistic look, you can add some plastic film between the two washers to resemble lenses.

I used some scraps of faux leather as a band for the had similar to the corset.

The rest of the hat was decorated using half pearls, steampunk charms and a peacock feather.

Painting the hat

You can give each gnome their own look, I painted some parts to make them all look unique.

I painted the hat below with black gesso and highlighted with bronze wax paste.  To apply the bronze wax paste you dip your finger in the wax and wipe it gently over the surface of the hat. For added effect, you can use a coloured sharpie to colour the plastic film in the googles. To attach the hat I used some black hot glue.

Steampunk Sock Gnome photoshoot

I added some final touches to the bodies by adding some pockets and pocket watches.

More DIY project for you

This unique Steampunk Christmas tree was made from mainly recycled materials and given a mixed media makeover.

These ring holders were made from recycled high heels and given a mixed media makeover.

If you are looking for any of the items used in this project, please consider using our links. By clicking on the links we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Which helps us come up with new and exciting ideas to share with you. Please feel free to share or leave a comment we would love to hear your thoughts.