Even the most sociable gnomes need a place to get away from it all for a little while. Or to hide when it's bathtime. When your gnome is done playing, the fabric top slips off, and the frame snaps apart for storage. And, yes, the frame is made of hula hoops!

Materials:
2 hula hoops
9 ft of pvc pipe
6 pvc endcaps
screws and acorn nuts
approximately 3.5 yds brown fabric
contrasting fabric for top and decorations

Step 1: Cut 3 pieces of pvc pipe that are each 36 inches long.
Step 2: Drill pilot holes all the way through the hula hoop and through each endcap. Screw the endcaps to the hula hoops. The screw should go all the way through the hula hoop and end in the endcap. Put an acorn nut on the sharp end of the screw in the endcap.
Step 3: Snap the pvc pipes into the endcaps. The frame is complete!
Step 4: Cut 6 pieces of brown fabric in the shape shown in the template. The height should be equal to the height of your frame plus seam allowance. The length along the top is 1/6 the circumference of your hula hoop plus a seam allowance. 16 inches worked well for a 25 inch diameter hula hoop. Stitch all 6 pieces together.
Step 5: Trace along the outside edge of the hula hoop onto a piece of fabric for the top. Cut out circle. Stitch concentric circles in contrasting thread to look like tree rings.
Step 6: Stitch the circle to the 6 pieces you sewed together already.
Step 7: Cut holes for window and door. Cut a little arched door out of a different fabric, and glue it to the doorway. Both sides of the door should remain open.
Step 8: Decorate with little mushrooms, flowers, acorns, etc.

Congratulations! You're done!

(Images: Katie Steuernagle)

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