Winter Solstice in Fairbanks...

So, I am sitting up late.  I will be heading to Fairbanks International Airport (sounds impressive, right??  6 gates, a parking lot, and a place to wait until your guest gets out of baggage claim) to pick up my son Brian as he flies in to spend Christmas with me.

I know, with a pandemic raging, maybe not the smartest thing, but we will be as careful as we can be. We have celebrated just about every Christmas together, except for last year when he went to see his Dad.  It has been well over a year since I have seen him and I am suffering from Pandemic Fatigue so he will be here for 5 days and then I will not see Rob and Kate until after January 2nd when I will have been 14 days out from my first contact with Brian.  Rob is very careful with Kate, and I do not blame them in the least.  Whatever it takes.

Brian flew into Seattle from Minneapolis.  He was to arrive, have about 45 minutes to get to his connection and then land here around 11:45 PM tonight.  I was watching his flights on a Flight Tracker app and noticed that he landed on time but then his connecting flight began to report a delay.  So I texted him that I was aware of the delays and he texted back that after about an hour, he was still in the first plane and thought he might miss his next flight.  But he made it and then waited and waited.  The second plane was reported to be overweight.  But after whatever needed to be done, he finally took to the air and is on his way, some 2 1/2 hours late, so I will be at the airport at 2:30-ish in the AM to pick him up.

Well, I have time on my hands as I am prepared for his arrival, so I have been looking at Facebook, watching the West Wing on Netflix as it will be disappearing on December 25th, and checking the Flight Tracker so I know what time I need to head to the airport.

Today was the Winter Solstice.  We celebrate this day in Fairbanks as our days, which have been getting darker and longer each day will finally be turning around and the days will be getting lighter and lighter from here on out.

I have tried to explain to those who have asked about how the sun is during this odd time.  I have tried to explain to those who have asked that the sun rises and sets in the south and it struggles to get very high in the sky during the winter. In my flipping through Facebook, I came across the perfect picture to explain what I have tried to describe.

This photo was taken all day on the Winter Solstice in 2012.  It was a time-lapse photo and in one picture you are seeing the sunrise and sunset on the longest, darkest day of the year in Fairbanks.  It was taken from a vantage point near the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.  My house is down in the valley in the area in front of where the picture was taken.  It clearly shows the sun peeking over the horizon, scooting along the horizon before setting again.

I was asked today if I had gotten used to the darkness.  I have, I even like this time of the year.  It is great for a retired person to sleep in and not be wakened by the light shining into the window.  In fact, I had a harder time with the long, light-filled days in the summer.  Somehow, taking Miles out for his final walk at 11:30 PM and having daylight all around and then trying to go to bed was really very difficult for me.  Perhaps I will find it easier in 2021.

Enjoy the picture.

Christmas decorations...

 Little by little, I have gotten my Christmas decorations up in the house.  They are nothing special but I really like what I have done.

These are 4 little houses, a few little trees, and some kids building a snowman that now grace the top of the oak secretary that moved from PA to Alaska.  It was in the living room in Parkesburg after Rudy refinished it.  He had purchased it at auction.  It is one of my favorite pieces.  It is in the living room here in Fairbanks, as well.

I do not know where the little houses came from.  They appeared in a "Christmas" box that arrived in the move.  They were inside a small plastic tub and each one was in a box.  They came from the Ames Department Store but I do not remember buying them or even displaying them.  But I know they are mine because in that tub were two shoe boxes.  One held very old ornaments that had been on my parent's Christmas trees and are quite fragile.  The other box held my first Nativity scene.  I had not seen it in years and I had thought that Rudy, during some of his attic purge days, had inadvertently thrown them out.  There was also a crocheted angel tree topper and a few other odds and ends.

I love how cute the little village is on top of the secretary.

This is the coffee table.  I placed a gold-colored charger plate on the table then placed a battery-operated candle lantern that runs for several hours in the evening in the center of the plate.  I added some small red and gold ornaments, finally surrounding the plate with red and gold garland.  Can you guess my color theme???

This is the area that divides the living room from the steps.  We have heard tell that one of the previous owners had a large fish tank in this area where they had Piranha.  Along the top, there are three little Christmas Gnomes, a couple of LED candles, and an angel musical decoration.

Attached to the front-top is the Poinsettia garland that I had used in Parkesburg around all of the doors.  The doorways here are a tad different, so this year, I am only using one of the three garlands.

On either side of the TV are two Christmas Gnomes made from socks.  I made four of them (thus far) to add to my Christmas decor.

This is my front window.  Last year I used the big Poinsettias, the lighted garland, and the 4 large red and gold ornaments.  This year I added 4 smaller ornaments.  I got a tube of 6, but I hung the two extra ones over by the TV.

If you look carefully, under the little china cabinet having on the wall you can see the hanging Christmas tree made from folded fabric.  It was made at Sew Much Love at the Parkesburg Mennonite Church.  I am sure missing my sewing ladies and time at the sewing machine making pillowcases, little dresses, and the occasional craft.  I pray that they will get back to the fellowship, fun, and sewing that they have done before COVID!

This is next to the TV.  It sits on top of the Symphonian, covered with batting.  This is one of two Nativities that I have used in the past few years.  This one was to replace the one I thought I had lost but just found in a box!  So now I have three and they will be rotated out each year.  This one is made by Lenox and I paid $25.00 for it at a local thrift shop in Cochranville.

This is the little secretary with the village on top.  Next to it is my printer.  On top is one of the four Christmas Gnomes I made sitting in a nest of red and gold garland.

This year I got another tree.  Over time, in Parkesburg, I had gotten rid of all of my regular sized Christmas Trees.  So I went searching for a little tree.  I could not find any, but very good friends had been out shopping in the local Commissary where they spied this perfect little tree.  It came pre-lit and I added red and gold ornaments as well as bead garland.  Note, the printer is now adorned with another Christmas Lantern.  The Gnome now resides on the opening between the living room and the kitchen with its brother...

This is the dining room table.  A lovely red tablecloth, embossed with satin Poinsettias, a white table runner with embroidered red Poinsettias, round Poinsettia placemats go around the table.  In the center, you will see "Nutcracker" nutcrackers and on the turntable a tall vase of Poinsettias with two round containers of red and gold ornaments with battery-operated fairy lights woven through the ornaments.  The table is really stunning in person.

I had help.  Normally Miles spends his time stretched out on the floor at the top of the stairs.  At one point this is where I found him.  He had snuggled down on top of the leftover garland.  The red really shows off his sandy-colored fur.

Prepping for Christmas

 After a week of turkey comas,,, I love cold turkey sandwiches on toast with butter, mayo, and lettuce... my favorite part of Thanksgiving... I have begun the task of preparing for Christmas.

I no longer want to do the big tree in the front window, decorated with tons of ornaments that have sentimental meanings, lots of brightly colored lights, and in older times, covered with tinsel.  My children are either in or near their 50's and there are no grandchildren.  All of the trees and decorations, cookies coming out of your ears, baking for days, and shopping, shopping, shopping is best done when there are eager children or grandchildren to giggle and have eyes wide in the wonder of this special Holiday Season.  But I do like to have s few festive decorations to bring the feeling of the season into the house to lighten my spirits at this time of the year.

The last few years in Parkesburg I had a 2-foot tree that remained decorated after the holidays, covered with a plastic bag until the next year.  I had found a garland that was made up of small poinsettia blooms for the three door openings, with glittery poinsettias that got clipped to the corners and bright red velvet bows tied to the ends.  I toyed with the idea of lights and decided against that idea.  They look pretty just the way they are.  Add some poinsettia placemats and either red or green tablecloths.  Easy peasy up... easy peasy down.

Last year, after moving to Fairbanks, I had to find other easy, peasy decorations as I had yet to unearth my Christmas decorations that moved from Parkesburg.  I had found some large, glittery, blingy plastic ornaments at Home Depot.  I had gotten red and gold ones, then located some red and gold glittery garland at Walmart, some LED flashing lights that had a twinkle mode, and some tall poinsettias which all fit in the front window.  We had just purchased the living room furniture for the house and it sits all along the front window, so it was the best type of decoration for this house.

I did not remove the hangers when I took them down, so this year it will be even easier to hang them up.  I will be adding a few hangers as I found smaller ornaments, similar to the ones from last year, at Costco.  I also have all of the things I remembered from Parkesburg and a few things that I uncovered that I either have not seen in years or do not remember getting at all.

I took some "before" pictures of the living room and dining room.  I will share the after pictures... well after I am done!

This is the living room from the corner of the dining room.  The plastic tub has the big ornaments that are ready to hang and the garland and lights are layered in the bottom of the tub.  Note the middle pillows.  They are newly added to the sectional.  I saw them on Facebook Marketplace.  I thought they would match but did not purchase them right away.  When they did not sell for several weeks I contacted the seller and picked them up one evening.  They are perfect and I love the look.

This is turning towards the dining room.  I had brought up a couple of items that had been found in boxes not marked 'Christmas' and not yet in another box. The poinsettias I had picked up in an order that I got from Joann's.

This is the second Holiday jigsaw puzzle.  Kate usually heads there when she is not working, or on her computer for a meeting during the days when they come to spend time with me.  This one is all Ugly Christmas Sweaters.  If she finishes it before Christmas, I have another one waiting.

This is what the puzzle will look like when it is done!

These are the decorations from last year.  They hang in the window using a fishing line, so it is almost invisible.  The garland with the lights attached is hung on the edge of the window glass so it can be seen inside and outside.

These two boxes are special Nativity sets.  One was a gift from a couple at Parkesburg Mennonite Church on the occasion of my joining the church.  Parmalle and Noah have been special friends of mine during my time as a member of that church and I cherish it.  The other was a replacement for a set that I had for many years and haven't seen in many years.  I found the new one at a thrift shop for $20.00.  I am not sure if they will all be set up.  I may end up rotating them year to year.

These are the rest of the decorations that have been unearthed.  There is still a box or two in the garage labeled 'Christmas'.There are two tubs, the long one on top is all of the Parkersburg stuff.  The one you can barely see on the bottom is a new...old... box with things I do not remember at all.  The clear tube has ornaments, the new ones, that I bought at Costco last week.  It is going to be an interesting time seeing what I still have.

How to make Button Flowers…

 

How to make Button Flowers…

 

In the summer of 2012, I was on my annual road trip from Pennsylvania through Illinois where I visited my cousin, Linda, before heading to Minneapolis to spend a week or so with my youngest son Brian.  My husband had passed away in 2011 and I had finally sold my summer home in Maryland.  I began making road trips with friends and to visit my sons, either by driving (Brian) or flying (Rob and his wife, Kate).  The 2012 summer trip was a delightful adventure where Brian entertained me which included a trip to Turtle Lake, WI to visit Tom and Mary Stark.  Mary is a quilter/crafter, so we had a lot in common.  It was on that trip that she taught me to make button flowers.

These are button flowers.  They are beautiful, quirky little decorations that are made with old or new buttons and floral wire using a drill.
 
WARNING:  Learning how to make button flowers can be very addictive.  Before you know it, you will have button flowers on your dressers, the backs of your toilets, windowsills, nightstands, tops of bookcases, and any other places that just need a little something.  When you are invited to a friend’s house or a neighbor’s backyard party, you will come armed with a food dish, a bottle of wine, and a little vase of button flowers.  To help validate your obsession you will teach your crafty friends, your quilt guild, or your girl scouts how to make them and they will become addicted.  From just one or two of those that you teach, the Button Flowers will continue their journey until they are all throughout the country, maybe even around the world.
 
Recently I saw a Facebook post that showed one of the quilters in a group that I follow with a LARGE number of buttons spread out in a LARGE container asking the question: “Do you think I can find 8 green buttons that match?”  Many folks weighed in with comments, but I said that I would make button flowers out of them.  I just needed to get my drill and floral wire,  Surprisingly, one member of the group was actually one of the ladies I had taught how to make the Button Flowers and she said that she still had her Button Flowers.  Another member asked if I could show her a picture as she was curious.  I took a picture which I shared, and she asked if I could tell her how to make them.  So, I am writing these instructions with pictures so another generation of Button Flower makers can become addicted.

Button Flower Tutorial

 

Button Flowers are exactly as they sound, delightful little flowers that are made from buttons.  They are unique, delicate, and very simple to make.  But this is a warning, making Button Flowers can be very addictive.

 

These are the materials that you will need to make button flowers:

The first and primary items you will need are buttons.

A collection of old, regular buttons…  most households have a box of buttons.  You can also find them online, on eBay, or Etsy, etc.

You can also get newer buttons.  Walmart, Joann Fabric, and Michaels would be a great source of these newer buttons.

You will need 22 Gauge floral wire.  Do not use anything lighter.  It needs to be easy enough to twist and yet give the flowers the ability to stand up on the stem that you will make with the wire.  Much heavier and the stem will not have a gentle bounce that makes the buttons move more like flowers.

You will need a drill, either corded or cordless.  You will also need a small pair of wire cutters.

You will need small containers or vases to display your Button Flowers.  The stems are very thin.  The secret to displaying the Button Flowers is the opening of the vase.  It either needs to be a very narrow neck or have a device to hold the stems in place.  A wide opening will not allow the flower stems to stand upright.  In the sample above there are two vases with narrow openings.  There are two fake lightbulbs with a single hole in the top for one nice Button Flower.  Salt and pepper shakers have holes for the stems to go through without falling over.  The purple container has a wire covering that creates little squares.  Not ideal, but it will work.  Just become aware of the fun places that you go, like Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joann Fabrics, antique malls, yard sales, second-hand shops, or any other place that you can find little decorative objects that might just be the perfect container for your Button Flowers.  It will become part of the obsession.

You should also look for something to put in the bottom of the containers.  The height of your Button Flowers may cause your container to fall over.  Marbles, tiny stone nuggets, or glass pebbles work very well to keep your container from falling over and keep your flowers in place.  Again, Walmart, Joann Fabrics, Michaels, etc. are the best place to find these items.

So, let’s start making some Button Flowers…

Step 1:

Sort through your buttons.  Pull out big ones, then medium ones than small ones.  You are going to layer your buttons to make the flowers.  Colors are up to you.  They can each be different colors, a variety of one color family, or all of them exactly the same, just different sizes.  All of these flowers should be the kind of buttons with holes in them.  The minimum number of holes will be two, but four holes will be fine, you just need to have one hole for each of two wires that will make up the stem. You can also use one shank type button in your flower.  BUT, it has to be the smallest button or the top button, or the first button used in your flower.  I have used one like the little white button in the picture above.  I have also found a ladybug shank button or a butterfly shank button to decorate the top of the Button Flower.  I have also used sparkly, jeweled-like shank buttons to add bling.  You can do whatever you like, these are your creations, so try them all.  It is part of the addiction, trying all of the many options to create a beautiful button bloom.

 

Step 2:

Take the 22 Gauge wire and unwind a piece that is about 2 to 3 times longer than the container that you are going to put them in.

Gently fold the wire in half, leaving a loop at the fold.  This fold will be where the buttons are layered to make the flower.

Step 3:

Begin to string the selected buttons onto the folded wire.  Begin with the smallest first, then the next size up, then a bigger one, until you have all of the buttons for this flower on the wires.  If you have a 4 hole button the wire should be going through the holes that are across from each other so the button will center up in the wire… unless you want the button off-center, then do it your way.  It is part of the fun.

Push the buttons up until they are tight against the top of the wire.

This is what the wire will look at in a button with holes.  If you use a shank button, get the second button up as tightly as you can against the shank.  It will hold that button in place.

Step 4:

Holding the buttons tightly in one hand and the wires in the other, gently twist the wire directly under the buttons to hold them in place.

Then fold to open ends of the two wires to make a small loop.  This will give an area for the drill to grab for making the twisted stem.

Step 5:

If you have never used a drill, have someone that you know help you learn.  The protruding cone/clamp is seen here grasping the end loops of the wires.  That little cone/clamp opens and closes using the plastic ring just behind the metal cone/clasp.  Open the little cone/clasp enough so you can insert the wires into the come/clasp and then turn the ring in the opposite direction to tighten the cone/clasp on the wires.  Make sure that the loop is secure.  You will be pulling on the button end in the next step and the looped ends will need to remain in the drill cone/clamp end.

 

Step 6:

Grab the buttons firmly between two fingers.

Pull the wires as tightly with one hand as you hold the drill in your other hand.  Turn the drill on, slowly at first.  If you are lucky, you twisted the wire by the buttons in the right direction.  If not, those twists will untwist which is why it is important to hold the buttons tightly.  Keep the drill running until the wire stem becomes a single twisted piece of metal.

Do not twist it too quickly or too tightly or you will snap the wire off just below the buttons or break in the middle.  Take your time at first until you get the feel of the drill and how much of a twist that you need in the wire.  The tighter the twist, the stiffer the stem will be.

Step 7:

Open the cone/clasp back up and remove the folded end.  You can see how the wire has twisted down to where the fold in the wire begins.

Clip off the folded end of the Button Flower.

Step 8:

Now take a look at the finished stem and Button Flower.  If you are just making a whole bunch of miscellaneous flowers, this is where you would stop.  When you finally are ready to put it into a vase, you will determine the length that you want to cut the flower in order for it to work in the vase or container.  I usually put odd numbers of the flowers in a vase, so either 3 or 5 or 7.  Cut them to different lengths to make the decoration have balance and interest.

I put this Button Flower in the one tall vase that I had on the table.  I think it is too tall, but in the right vase, it would be perfect.  You can add other decorations to the flowers, perhaps leaves or ribbons. to glitter or crystals. or whatever your heart desires.

 

If you have any questions, please email me at jrudewick@gmail.com

Happy Thanksgiving...

 As I write this, Thanksgiving has already begun in much of the lower 48, but I still have a few hours before it begins here.  I have a turkey waiting to be roasted, potatoes to be mashed, dressing to be baked, table to be set... other than that, I am ready.  

I made a blue cheese ball that is a tradition in my family.  A couple of bricks of cream cheese, some finely chopped veggies and a little salt, and a pound of blue cheese.  It is mixed and the favors are melding together in the fridge so it will be perfect tomorrow.  I am sure we will not eat it all tomorrow, which will give me some creamy, yummy snacks for the next several days.  And if worse comes to worst, I will spread it on a hamburger... gourmet burger!

I have been watching the news more recently than I have for many years.  I will be stopping that shortly.  I do not see anything good on the news.  Between the election stuff and COVID-19, and the struggling economy, it is just an ugly world that we seem to live in these days.  But by the same token, looking at what is happening to others in this country and around the world, I have come to appreciate my blessings... and there is no doubt that God has blessed me in so many ways.

Last year at this time I was exhausted but I had finished the task of unboxing all of my kitchen stuff so that I could have Thanksgiving dinner with my oldest son, Rob, and his lovely wife, Kate.  I had downsized much of my "stuff, packed the rest of it on a truck, and moved across the country from southeast PA to the middle of Alaska.

I have settled into a really beautiful house that is now my home.  I have learned to deal with long, dark winters, very frigid, and long, light-filled cool, comfortable summers.  I made a few friends before quarantine began.  I had stayed quietly inside, enjoying my new home before Rob and Kate coming to visit after a couple of months of just phone calls.  I am healthy, so far.  I have learned how to shop without even going into the stores.  I have learned how to drive in snow and how to drive with blinding sunshine in my face.  I have everything and anything that I could ever want.

I look at the long lines of people who are trying to get food for themselves and their families.  I do not want for food.  I have seen the ever-increasing numbers of COVID cases and increasing numbers of deaths.  I remain healthy.  I see the number of people that are unemployed increase and hear stories of people becoming homeless or unable to clothe or feed their kids.  I am warm and well dressed, be it sweat pants and sweaters.

My youngest son, Brian found a job after a year and a half without... and it is one that he is liking and they seem to like him, so win/win.  My youngest nephew got married in September to his girlfriend of 10 years.  I had to miss it because of the pandemic, but I got to see the pictures, and they look very happy.  I have heard from many of my friends from the lower 48 and they all seem to be doing well, blessings for all of us.  I am currently smelling baked cinnamon cranberry bread.  It is going to taste so good in the morning.

Rob and Kate will be with me tomorrow.  I am so grateful for all they have done to make me feel at home in my new location.  We will be talking to Brian who is either at home or visiting his father ... if he got up the courage to fly.  I will try to talk to my brother, Andy, tomorrow as well.

I am grateful for all of the blessings that I have been given.  I give thanks to God for allowing me this life I have been able to live so I can enjoy these blessings. And I am thankful for all of my friends, new ones, and the steadfast ones I have made throughout the years.  

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.  May this day give you a chance to remember all of the good things large and small that are in your life, and may you find blessings that you do not even know are there so you can rejoice in your own blessings.  And I pray that next year there will be large family gathering for a Thanksgiving to beat all Thanksgivings.

Making your own Christmas Gnome...

The beginning of my Christmas Gnome Army!!!

This year, even though they have been around for years, I finally noticed the Christmas Gnomes.  I think they are so cute and add some lightheartedness to the holiday decorations.  Since my kids are not little and I missed out on the 'Elf on the Shelf' stuff, I am going to be adding Christmas Gnomes to my Pointsetta decor that I usually put up.

I bought a set of three little gnomes with legs that draped over the shelf where they are sitting.  I really like them and started looking for bigger gnomes.  My cousin, Linda, lives in Lake Villa, IL.  Her favorite coffee shop is selling Christmas Gnomes and I had asked her to scope them out for me.  I was going to have Linda buy one or two and ship them to me, helping to support that small, local business.

They were cute, but not in the colors that I was looking for and a bit more expensive than I wanted to pay.  So I thanked Linda and began looking for YouTube videos to see how hard it would be to make them myself.  It turns out, that with some socks, fill, and faux fur along with the trusty glue gun, you can easily make your very own Christmas Gnomes.

I have made a couple of Gnomes and during that process of making my first gnomes, I took pictures of the step by step creation of my little gnome army.  I will share those steps so that you might go out, get the materials, and make one or two on your own.

In my previous blog, I listed all of the materials you will need for your gnomes.  Gather the items together and let's get started.

The first step is making the body.  Take the white tube sock and cut it off between 8" and 9" from the toe of the sock.  I laid it out on my cutting table, measured and used scissors to make the cut.

The tube socks I bought are over-the-calf tube socks.  If I were to turn the top of the sock inside-out and stitch across the cut-off bottom edge, I would have more than enough sock left to make another gnome.  You can also get shorter socks and make your little guy smaller.  It is up to you.  And if you have a nice, sharp 60mm rotary cutter, you can use it to cut the sock for the body rather than the scissors.

Now we will fill the sock to make the body.  I am using the weighted Poly-Pellets, but you can use whatever filler you would like to use.  Dry rice and beans that have been frozen for a week to kill the eggs/bugs that might grow will work just fine.  I emptied out a shoebox plastic tub, placed the pellet bag inside the tub so I can keep spillage under control and not on my floor.  I have placed the sock inside a red solo cup and opened the sock over the top.  This helped get the initial pellets into the sock.

The sock is filled to the brim with the weighted pellets.

Take the sock out of the cup and use the cup to add more pellets to the sock.  Hold the sock up and tap it on the table to help it compress the pellets to the toe of the sock.  I also used the small end of the cup to tamp it down.  The sock is going to expand, just like it would on your foot, so you can add more pellets.  I found that the amount of pellets that I needed was around 2 solo cups, give or take some extra.  You need to have the ability to have enough sock material to close it at the top and twist a rubber band around the opening to close it up.  This should be followed by some string or twine, tightly tied to make sure the topknot does not come opened.

You now have the body for your gnome.  It is hard to tell in this picture, but the gnome is just a little bigger than my hand, from the tip of the middle finger to my wrist.  If you hold the body between both hands, it should fill your hands.  But you can make your gnome smaller or larger by increasing or decreasing the size of the cut on your sock.

Now you need to create the nose for your gnome.  It sounds easy, but I found this to be the hardest part.  You decide where on the body you want the nose to be.  It should be more towards the top than the middle.  You grab the area where you want the nose and dig into the fill.  The hard part is getting it to maintain the nose shape and not have the fill go back into the body.  Once you get the nose separated, wrap it with a rubber band and then immediately wrap it tightly with the twine.  It may take a couple of times to get the size nose that you want, but just keep trying.

This is a closeup of the finished nose.  The areas that look gray are just the shadow of my camera trying to get the picture.

Now you can add a little color to your gnome's nose.  I am guessing you could use a little bit of craft paint, but I think it might make the nose too prominent.  The videos I used for my gnomes just used powder blush or highlighter.  It gives just a nice pinkish glow, like a nose out in the cold.  I brush it on.  I try to make it a little darker than I want it to look because the remaining creative process will have some of the powder falling off.

This is a side view of my first body.  When I was done, I noticed that the topknot had been pulled forward.  This is not ideal, so when you are making the nose, be aware of where the topknot is located.  I was OK with this one, as the cap was going to easily cover it.  The alternative hat that you will see at the end, this would not have worked.

Also, notice the twine around the waist. This can be done at this stage or after the body is covered.  The purpose of this string is to keep all of the pellets inside the body from settling into the bottom of the body.  If you forget to do it early, you can use the twine and then cover it with a ribbon to trim.  You can add trim on the waist regardless.

Now it is time to dress/decorate your gnome.  This is where those cute, soft, fuzzy socks that seem to appear during the holidays come into play.  I found some Christmas socks on Amazon that then turned up on Facebook Marketplace for $5.00 less and I could go pick them up rather than waiting for delivery.  You cut them off across the heel and use the toe area... in this instance, to cover the bottom of your gnome.

Here is the toe end on the bottom of the gnome.  Making a male gnome will pretty much cover this in the front, but it will be visible from the side and back.  If there is a little part of the heel still attached, put that at the back.  Bring the front covering all the way up to the nose.

This is where you can see the heel edge at the back of the gnome.  The hat will come down and cover the majority of the top of the bottom cover.

Take your glue gun and tack the top of the body cover to the sock body.  Just be careful to not burn your fingers when pressing the cover onto the body.  After one or two burns, I started using some small scissors to press the cover into the glue.

Now it is time for the beard.  I am using a longer, faux fur that also has silver threads through the white fur.  Having a yard of this faux fur that is 58" wide makes the material a bit unyielding.   But I started on a corner and measured out a 4 1/2" by 4 1/2" square.  Then carefully run some sharp scissors all along the fabric backing so that you are only cutting the backing and NOT cutting the fur.  You can feel it as you run the scissors all along the material.  This allows the fur length to remain long beyond the cut edge of the backing.  This makes your beard just show the fur on the front.

This is the finished cut beard.  You will round off the bottom corners.  I free-handed this one, on the next one I used a round spool of ribbon to make a better curve.  The notch at the top is where the nose sits.  For this one, you will need to test fit and make the notch to accommodate the size of your nose.  The notch should sit under the nose so the edge cannot be seen and you pull the corners up into the head area.  It will be covered by the cap but it makes the beard bow out a little and look fuller in the final product.  Run a bead of glue all along the top of the beard material and place it so the notch is tucked away under the nose and the straight edge goes up into the head area.

This is the gnome with his beard attached.  This one has enough faux fur that can be twisted into a mustache.  He is now ready for a cap.

This is a closeup of the beard in place on the gnome.  The notch is invisible under the nose and the beard has some shape to it.

Now take the sock that you are going to use for the knit cap and cut it across the heel, just like the body covering.

I am putting a little top ball in my hat.  I took a small wad of polyfill to plump it out and make a ball.  I tucked it up into the toe and make the size ball that you want.  Use a rubber band to hold the fill in place.  You will add some ribbon later in the process to secure the rubber band.

Here is the finished ball.  I used the green toe to define the top.  It ended up being a bit bigger than I wanted, but for the first time, it was fine.

Now you will take a bigger wad of filler to put into the bottom of the cap.  This gives the cap some structure.

The hat is in place.  To make the main part of the hat look right with the top ball, there was not enough left to make a band.  I will either need to make the top ball and the cap base smaller or cut the sock longer.  This is what you learn as you go.

This is the cap glued in place.  I made sure that it was pulled all the way down to the nose in the front.  It is also is tugged down evenly and covering the top of the body covering.  Just keep tacking it down until it is secure.

Here is the finished first gnome.  I added a red jingle bell to the top of the hat.  I used a ribbon to add the bell and then tied a double bow to secure the knot so it does not come undone.  Isn't he cute?

If you want to make a female gnome, instead of a beard, get some yarn in hair colors and create a pair of braids.  Before putting on the cap, place the braids from a place under where the hat will go and down the front of the gnome.  You will be able to see the sock body covering.  Decorate the cover with buttons, bows, or whatever you need to dress up your lady gnome.  A scarf matching the hat would be adorable.

I made another gnome before the end of the day.  I used only 2 full solo cups of pellets in the body.  I still struggled with the nose, but I did manage to get the topknot more at the top of the body.  The beard was 5 1/2" wide and 4" long.  I like it a bit better but the fuller beard does not make a mustache at all.  I used a 5"+ styrofoam cone to make this hat stand up tall and instead of cutting the sock for the hat, I used the entire sock.  I took the scissors and gouged a hole in the center of the cone so the topknot of the body would fit inside.  I also shaved off the back of the bottom of the cone so it sits on the body a little askew to the back of the gnome.  Then glue the cone to the head with the topknot inside the hole in the cone.  I pulled the sock over the cone, keeping the sock's heel toward the back.  I was able to roll a cuff on the hat.  Tacked the hat down with glue and another gnome in my little army.

Here is my turquoise gnome from his right side.

Here is the turquoise gnome from the back.

Here is the turquoise gnome from the left side.  As I get the rest of my gnomes done, I will look into doing a little more decorating.  Buttons, sequins, bells, Christmas balls, or anything else will add to the festive look they are adding to my Christmas.

Now... go make your own gnomes!!!