Faux Fur Applique Gnome with Long Legs (In-the-Hoop)

For the faux fur fabric pieces, spray the back side of the printed back piece dieline with temporary adhesive, and smooth it onto the wrong side of the faux fur.

Paper pattern piece with black and red lines placed on square fabric piece with one fur side and one textured wool-like side, all on gray background.

With a craft knife, carefully cut out the faux fur along the dieline. Only cut through the fabric backing; do not cut the actual fur. Using a craft knife rather than scissors will help keep the fur from becoming blunt and choppy.

Gray faux fur fabric piece with a heart-like shape stitched to a gray textured surface, next to a silver craft knife with a white blade on a gray background.

Keep the direction of the fur in mind when cutting the fabric piece. In this demonstration, since the faux fur is being used as a beard for the gnome, the faux fur should point downward.

Embroidered gnome wearing a red Santa hat with white trim and holly, featuring a pink nose and a gray faux fur beard on green fabric.

Next, spray the back of all the non-fur paper dielines with temporary spray adhesive. Then smooth them onto the right side of the appropriate fabrics.

White paper pattern piece with drawn scalloped edge placed on a rectangular piece of red fabric, all on a gray textured surface.

Cut out your fabric around the placed dieline.

Silver-handled scissors with black and white grip lie open on gray fabric next to a red fabric piece cut in an irregular shape with scalloped edges.

Spray the wrong side of the fabric that you've chosen for your finished project with temporary spray adhesive. Smooth it on top of a piece of cutaway stabilizer.

Hand holding and lifting a corner of dark green fabric to reveal white stabilizer underneath, against a white and dark surface background.

Hoop the cotton fabric and cutaway stabilizer together.

Embroidery hoop attached to dark green fabric with gathered edges, placed on a gray surface, no visible embroidery or designs inside hoop.

Attach the hoop onto the machine and load the embroidery file (not the dieline files). Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline (or outline stitch). This marks the area on the stabilizer and fabric where the fabric will be placed.

Close-up of embroidery machine needle and presser foot stitching a light-colored outline on dark green fabric. The background is blurred.

After the dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the wrong side of the first applique fabric piece with temporary spray adhesive. Then place the faux fur within the sewn dieline.

Hand holding a piece of gray and white faux fur fabric over dark green fabric inside an embroidery hoop, with a stitched appliqué outline visible.

Once the fur is placed within the dieline, smooth the fur inward from the edges toward the center of the piece. Then take water-soluble stabilizer and tape it over the fur piece. This will keep the embroidery foot from getting tangled in the fur.

Embroidery hoop with dark green fabric secured by masking tape on plastic sheet, showing faux fur piece with gray and white shades underneath.

Place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the tackdown for the previously placed fabric piece. A tackdown holds the fabric piece in place for the remainder of the design.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching light gray faux fur onto dark fabric with blue thread, showing detailed applique work in progress.

Remove the excess water-soluble stabilizer from around the outside of the faux fur. As there are still some details that will need to be sewed out over the faux fur, keep what’s left of the water-soluble stabilizer in the center to prevent the presser foot from getting tangled.

Close-up of a machine embroidery hoop holding gray and white faux fur fabric stitched with gray thread, on a dark teal background.

Remove the excess water-soluble stabilizer from around the outside of the faux fur. As there are still some details that will need to be sewed out over the faux fur, keep what’s left of the water-soluble stabilizer in the center to prevent the presser foot from getting tangled.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching red thread on dark green fabric with a gray faux fur piece attached near the bottom left corner.

Repeat to remove the hoop from the machine. Then spray the wrong side of the next applique fabric piece, and place it inside the sewn dieline.

Hand holding a piece of red fabric being placed inside a red embroidery stitch outline on green fabric, next to a faux fur applique piece in an embroidery hoop.

Embroider the tackdown and finishing seams steps.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching bright red fabric applique with a tight zigzag stitch onto dark green fabric, highlighting the presser foot and needle in action.

Continue to sew out the inner details.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching a red Santa hat with green holly leaves and a white pom-pom on a faux fur applique gnome with a pink nose and gray beard on green fabric.

When the tackdown and inner details are done, remove the water-soluble stabilizer from on top of the applique piece.

Hand holding transparent protective film peeled from embroidered applique of a gnome with red hat, white beard made of faux fur, and pink nose on dark green background.

When the tackdown and inner details are done, remove the water-soluble stabilizer from on top of the applique piece.

Hand holding a faux fur applique piece with gray felt backing over a fabric embroidered with a red Santa hat, white beard, and green holly leaves on a dark green background.

To make the legs, spray the wrong side of your quilter's cotton with temporary spray adhesive and smooth over a piece of cutway stabilizer.

A hand peeling back a corner of a white stabilizer sheet layered over another white sheet, all placed on a textured gray surface.

The spray the wrong side of paper dieline pieces with temporary spray adhesive, and smooth them onto the right side of the fabric. Both the front and back pieces of the legs will need cut away stabilizer.

Printed sewing pattern pieces labeled "front" and "front" on white fabric, placed on a gray surface, showing outlines for long, narrow shapes with angled and curved ends.

Cut the dieline shapes out of the adhered fabric and cutaway stabilizer. Remove the paper dielines.

Four identical white paper pattern pieces, each long and narrow with a rounded end, laid out on a dark gray fabric background next to a pair of gray-handled scissors.

Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer firmly. Make sure it is nice and tight with no wrinkles.

Rectangular embroidery hoop attached to dark fabric, with white stabilizer material secured inside the hoop, placed on a gray surface.

Attach the hoop onto the machine and load the first embroidery file (not the dieline files). Use a 75/11 sharp sewing needle instead of an embroidery needle. The sharp sewing needle has a finer point, and it will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer. Embroider the design.

Close-up of a sewing machine needle stitching red thread in a straight line on white fabric with two parallel red guidelines visible.

After the dieline has been sewn, remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the stabilizer side of the front fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the fabric piece onto the stabilizer inside the sewn dieline.

Hand holding a white fabric piece aligned with a red rectangular stitch outline on white stabilizer inside a large embroidery hoop on a gray surface.

Place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the tackdown for the front fabric piece.

Close-up of sewing machine needle stitching red zigzag thread on white fabric strip secured under presser foot, focusing on machine parts and fabric texture.

Place the back fabric piece.

Hand peeling adhesive backing from a white faux fur applique strip stitched with red thread on tear-away stabilizer in an embroidery hoop.

Sew the back fabric piece tackdown step.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a red zigzag border around a rectangular white fabric piece on a stabilizer sheet. The needle is mid-stitch.

Repeat the above process for the other leg.

Embroidery hoop with white fabric hooped and two long white strips stitched with red zigzag border, placed on gray surface with fabric stack nearby.

Since the next steps will be seen from the front and back, we recommend matching the bobbin thread with the top needle thread.

Two large spools of thread, one black and one red, along with two smaller bobbins of matching thread, all placed on a gray textured fabric surface.

Begin to sew out the inner details. Match the bobbin for each color.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching two long red designs on white fabric in an embroidery hoop. One design has red and white stripes, the other is a solid red outline.

Continue to match the bobbin and sew out the design.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching a black boot with red outline and red striped leg pattern on white fabric, focused on needle and foot mechanism.

Remove the legs from the stabilizer.

Two long, narrow red and white striped fabric strips with black curved ends resembling elf shoes, placed side by side on a gray background.

In this tutorial, we're showing how to utilize the freestanding gnome legs with the fuzzy beard gnome applique to make a single fun project.

Faux fur applique of a gnome head with a red Santa hat featuring holly leaves and berries, pink nose, and white beard, alongside two red and white striped long legs with black curled shoes on a green and gray fabric background.

Use masking tape to keep the beard out of the way while attaching legs.

Close-up of a fabric applique gnome with a red hat, white beard, green holly leaves, and red berries on dark green fabric; gray faux fur cut and taped overlay on beard.

You can choose to either sew the legs in place or use hot glue. In this tutorial we'll be using hot glue.

Close-up of a sewing needle with red thread stitching a red and white striped fabric strip onto a green fabric background, next to a piece of brown textured faux fur fabric.

First, determine the length of the legs you'd like. This will vary from project to project. The best effect is achieved when the tops of the legs are hidden under the open-ended applique.