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Tricky Gnome on Toadstool | Fantasy Costumes

Tricky Gnome on Toadstool

Total Time Needed: Afternoon Or Evening

This Tricky Gnome on Toadstool is made from a little bit of fairy-tale magic spun from pool noodles and outgrown toddler clothes. See his pals Dotty Toadstool and Little Bearded Gnome.

Materials

  • 2 pool noodles
  • Black duct tape
  • Glue gun and glue sticks
  • 96- by 23-inch piece of red lightweight cotton fabric, washed and dried
  • 2K yards of 1-inch non-roll waistband elastic
  • 3 (9- by 12-inch) sheets of white felt
  • Toddler-size sweat pants
  • 2 small balloons
  • Lightweight toddler boots or Crocs
  • 5 to 10 large safety pins

YOUR CHILD WILL WEAR

  • Blue pullover top
  • T-shirt
  • Wide belt
  • White skirt or pants
  • Gnome hat and beard (see Gnome Sweet Gnome instructions)

Instructions

Tricky Gnome on Toadstool: Step 1

1. TOADSTOOL Attach two pool noodles end to end with duct tape and trim as shown. Set aside the leftover noodle segment.

Tricky Gnome on Toadstool: Step 2

2. Center and glue the taped-together noodle on one edge of the red fabric.

Tricky Gnome on Toadstool: Step 3

3. Roll the noodle into the fabric and run a glue line to seal it in a pocket. Then enclose the elastic in a pocket along the opposite edge as shown, pinning the elastic's ends to hold it in place.

Tricky Gnome on Toadstool: Step 4

4. When the glue is dry, bring the two ends of the noodle together and tape securely. Cover this joint with the unglued fabric ends and glue them in place.

5. Unpin the elastic and gather the fabric to create an opening that fits snugly around your child's waist. Overlap the elastic's ends by 2 inches, secure them with hot glue, then trim.

6. From the white felt, cut 30 to 40 circles 2 to 4 inches in diameter. Glue them to the toadstool in a random pattern.

7. GNOME LEGS: To stuff the sweatpants, use an inflated balloon (about 5 inches in diameter) in each upper leg and a 9-inch length of the leftover pool noodle in each lower leg. Pull on the boots, securing them at the tops with duct tape.

Tricky Cnome on Toadstool: Step 8

8. Have your child put on the T-shirt, the skirt or pants, and the toadstool. With long pieces of tape, adhere the legs to your child's shirt as shown.

9. Use safety pins to hold the legs in a cross-legged position and to secure them to the toadstool. Have your child put on the pullover top, then arrange it to cover the waistbands of the gnome legs and the toadstool. Add the belt, hat, and beard.

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