How to Make Fabric Pumpkins

An appealing fall decoration is a collection of fiber-filled fabric pumpkins all decked out for Halloween. These cute little pumpkins are so easy to make that you'll want a few for every room.

Things You'll Need

• Fabric scraps
• Needle and thread
• Scissors
• Twigs
• Silk leaves
• Hot glue gun
• Fiberfill
• Dried beans
• Green wreath wire or florist wire

Instructions

1. Select fabric that is richly colored in varying shades of orange, brown, yellow and gold. Although you can certainly make a pumpkin with a solid orange, choosing appealing prints with autumn designs really adds to this project. The colors should complement each other if you intend to display them in a grouping.

2. Trace a circle onto the fabric. A dinner plate makes a nice size. You can vary the size of your finished pumpkins by varying the size of the circle. Cut the fabric circle with a sharp pair of scissors.

3. Thread a needle with a 20- inch length of heavy-duty thread and knot the end. Sew a running stitch 1/4 inch from the outside edge around the perimeter of the circle. When you complete the circle and meet with your first stitch, gently pull on the loose end and begin to gather the the material. The material will pucker and create a loose ball with a hole in the center. Add a few dried beans through the hole. These will provide weight and make positioning your finished pumpkin easier.

4. Fill the pumpkin shell with fiberfill. Add enough to create a plump pumpkin, but don't overfill. The resulting pumpkin should be a fluffy ball, not a tightly wadded mass of fiber fill. Pull the thread tight until the material is gathered completely. You will have a small puckered hole in the center. Tie off the thread.

5. Insert a small twig into the hole for a stem, and glue in place. Add silk or fabric leaves and glue in place to conceal the hole, if necessary. Curl two 4-inch lengths of green wreath wire to resemble the tendrils of a pumpkin, and glue in place among the leaves.

6. Position the pumpkin with your hands fluffing or flattening specific areas until you get the look you desire. Display singly or in groupings to create a dramatic effect.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with different-size circles to create a variety of sizes of pumpkins.