How to Make Fabric Pumpkins
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Want to learn How to Make Fabric Pumpkins? You’re in luck, I’ve got a great Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial to share that will show you how to make these cute and colorful DIY pumpkins using just about any type of fabric!
DIY Fabric Pumpkins as Fall Decor
My kitchen table has been in need of a little update for fall. I’d been seeing these adorable Fabric Pumpkins around in the last year or so and wanted to try and make myself a few.
I finally did and am tickled pink on how they turned out. (Or should I say tickled orange and purple?)
Why Sew Fabric Pumpkins?
- Adorable – These DIY Fabric Pumpkins make the cutest fall decor display. They look darling as a centerpiece on my dining room table and would look amazing as a fall mantle display. (And you get to tell your family and friends you made them yourself!)
- Easy – You will absolutely love how easy these easy colorful fabric pumpkins are to make with today’s free pattern. (Even better, I’ve included a video tutorial in case you are someone who prefers video over step-by-step photo instructions. The video should pop up automatically – you can just close it out if not needed.)
- Scrap Busting Project – These colorful pumpkins only need a bit of fabric, so perfect for using up scraps! The smallest pumpkin only needs a 7.5 by 15.5 piece of fabric.
- Great as a gift or a craft to sell – The pumpkins are a great craft to sell at a craft fair or Etsy shop and make a darling gift for family, friends, and even teachers.
Recommended fabric for fabric pumpkins:
The good news is just about any fabric will work!
- Quilting cotton / scrap fabric
- Velvet
- Canvas
- Thick knits
- Corduroy
- Old sweaters
I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a pretty great collection of quilting cotton. I’m on a mission to curate a collection that has all the colors so I can make something seasonal or whatever is trending, without having to rush off to the fabric store.
I had picked up this particular collection of fall-themed fabric from my local fabric store and have a ton of ideas on projects to use the fabric, starting with these easy fabric pumpkins.
More simple projects for your quilting cotton stash
- 45+ easy quilt patterns for beginners
- Free Pillowcase Dress Pattern
- Simple Elastic Waist Skirt (sz 12 mo to 14 yr)
- Easy patchwork Pincushion Pattern!
- Quilted Fabric Coasters
- 10 Minute Pillowcase Pattern (using the burrito method)
How to Make Fabric Pumpkins
Would you like to make some fabric pumpkins too? It’s so easy and you don’t even need a sewing machine!
The best part of this fabric pumpkin pattern is that the pumpkins can be made with fabric scraps you already have on hand.
This easy tutorial includes cutting dimensions to make three different sizes. (Small, medium and large.)
There is a tiny bit of sewing (the side seam and the bottom) but if you don’t have a machine, don’t worry, it is a tiny bit that you can hand stitch in minutes. (You could even use hot glue on the side seam if you aren’t into hand sewing!)
Creative ideas to fancy up your fabric pumpkins:
- Add burlap, fabric or raffia leaves.
- Wrap twine around your pumpkin stem.
- Add a few cinnamon sticks along with the stuffing to give the pumpkins a pumpkin spice scent.
- Use homespun, plaid, buffalo check or velvet fabric.
Pin this project for later
Time needed:
About 10 Minutes
Skill level:
Easy (can even be sewn by hand.)
Materials needed:
- Fabric
- Pillow stuffing
- needle and thread
- hot glue gun
- scissors/ruler
- Something for the stem and leaves (I used sticks I found outside leaves from an old discarded fake plant, but you could use felt or fabric for the leaves (if you even want a leaf) and for the stump, you could stuff a small piece of felt or fabric or use a stick from the yard or maybe even a twisted brown paper sack.)
- Twine, string, raffia or yarn to wrap around the pumpkin.
Instructions to Make Fabric Pumpkins
Step 1: Cut your fabric.
Cut your fabric into a rectangle, different dimensions will give different shapes. A standard pumpkin shape would be width = 2 X’s the height. So for a tall skinny pumpkin, reduce the width. For a shorter/fatter pumpkin increase the width.
I wanted various shapes that would complement each other, so for reference, my cut pieces were:
- Small pumpkin (orange fabric): 15.5 wide by 7.5 tall
- Short pumpkin (purple fabric): 32 wide by 13 tall
- Tall/ large pumpkin (stripe fabric): 21 wide by 16 tall
Step 2: Sew the side seams of the pumpkin.
Fold your fabric in half, right sides together, and hand stitch, machine sew, or even hot glue the side seam, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Step 3: Close the bottom of the fabric pumpkin.
Next, hand stitch a wide basting stitch along the bottom of the tube. (I tried to use my machine for this basting stitch, but it works better hand sewn since you can get a much wider stitch.)
Gather the bottom up so it is tightly closed and sew a few stitches to secure the bottom.
Step 4: Stuff your fabric pumpkin and close the top.
Flip the fabric right side out and stuff your pumpkin. (To conserve my stuffing, I made a hole in the middle of the stuffing and used plastic bags and fabric scraps, then put stuffing on top.)
Sew a basting stitch along the top and close it the same way as the bottom.
Pull the top closed and add a few stitches to secure it.
Step 5: Add the twine and finishing touches to your fabric pumpkin.
Wrap the piece of twine around the pumpkin 2 to 4 times (whatever looks best to you.) Wrap it tightly and tie it off on the bottom.
The tension gives the pumpkin the puffiness.
If the knots at the bottom bother you, you could cut a circle of fabric/felt and hot glue it over the knots to cover them up.
Add a dollop of hot glue to the top of the pumpkin and attach your stem.
Add your leaves and twine with a little more hot glue and…
Voilà! An adorable DIY fabric pumpkin! Cute isn’t it?
Now go make a few fabric pumpkins for yourself!
FAQ’s
How to Make Fabric Pumpkins No Sew?
You are in luck! If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can still make these fabric pumpkins!
The only part of the fabric pumpkin tutorial that used a sewing machine was the side seam. You can very easily hand stitch this seam or use hot glue or fabric glue to seal the seam. You do still need to hand stitch the basting stitch to close the top and bottom of the pumpkin. (It is the easiest way to achieve the rounded shape.)
How to Make Fake Pumpkin Stems?
Small branch – My favorite way to create pumpkin stems is to just use a small branch or large stick from outside. You can cut the stick into a pumpkin-sized stem and it looks just like the real thing!
Brown Paper Bag – You can also use a brown paper bag. Just twist the bag until the shape looks right. trim the paper stem and add a bit of glue to help the paper stem hold its shape.
Modeling Clay – Use a bit of clay to create the shape of the stem. After the stem has dried, paint it bown.
Wrap a pumpkin stem-shaped object with burlap twine or raffia – A small piece of PVC pipe trimmed to size, a wine cork, or just about any object of similar shape. Just wrap it with the twine, add glue, and Voilà! You have a DIY pumpkin stem.
I think my next set will be velvet pumpkins.
How about you, what fall sewing projects do you have lined up?
Did you Make These DIY Fabric Pumpkins?
Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. If you share an image on Instagram, be sure to tag me and use #scatteredmompatterns! You can also share an image to my private Facebook sewing group!
*photos updated 7/2017
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Make some adorable Fabric Pumpkins using any type of fabric! These cute and colorful fabric pumpkins make a great centerpiece or fall display.
Materials
- Fabric
- Pillow stuffing
- needle and thread
- hot glue gun
- scissors/ruler
- Something for the stem and leaves (I used sticks I found outside leaves from an old discarded fake plant, but you could use felt or fabric for the leaves (if you even want a leaf) and for the stump, you could stuff a small piece of felt or fabric or use a stick from the yard or maybe even a twisted brown paper sack.)
- Twine, string, raffia or yarn to wrap around the pumpkin.
Instructions
Step 1: Cut Your Fabric.
- Cut your fabric into a rectangle, different dimensions will give different shapes. A standard pumpkin shape would be width = 2 X’s the height. So for a tall skinny pumpkin, reduce the width. For a shorter/fatter pumpkin increase the width.
- I wanted various shapes that would complement each other, so for reference, my cut pieces were:
Small pumpkin (orange fabric): 15.5 wide by 7.5 tall
Short pumpkin (purple fabric): 32 wide by 13 tall
Tall/ large pumpkin (stripe fabric): 21 wide by 16 tall
Step 2: Sew The Side Seams Of The Pumpkin.
- Fold your fabric in half, right sides together, and hand stitch, machine sew, or even hot glue the side seam, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Step 3: Close The Bottom Of The Fabric Pumpkin.
- Next, hand stitch a wide basting stitch along the bottom of the tube. (I tried to use my machine for this basting stitch, but it works better hand sewn since you can get a much wider stitch.)
- Gather the bottom up so it is tightly closed and sew a few stitches to secure the bottom.
Step 4: Stuff Your Fabric Pumpkin And Close The Top.
- Flip the fabric right side out and stuff your pumpkin. (To conserve my stuffing, I made a hole in the middle of the stuffing and used plastic bags and fabric scraps, then put stuffing on top.)
- Sew a basting stitch along the top and close it the same way as the bottom.
- Pull the top closed and add a few stitches to secure it.
- Wrap the piece of twine around the pumpkin 2 to 4 times (whatever looks best to you.) Wrap it tightly and tie it off on the bottom.
- The tension gives the pumpkin the puffiness.
- If the knots at the bottom bother you, you could cut a circle of fabric/felt and hot glue it over the knots to cover them up.
- Add a dollop of hot glue to the top of the pumpkin and attach your stem.
- Add your leaves and twine with a little more hot glue and…
Voilà! An adorable fabric pumpkin! Cute isn’t it?
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Fabric pumpkins are so cute and easy to make! I love how they look on the porch and in the garden.
After much research for the best instructions to make fabric pumpkins, this by far is the best. Thank you for making it so simple.
Thanks!
I love it sooo nice of you to share want to make with the girls in my Sunday school class at my house they will love it! Thanks for sharing Cindy in VA
Love the easy way these are made. I will be making these small (3″ to 6″) so I can use them on wreaths & fall crafts instead of using the plastic ones from the store. Thanks for sharing.
Cute, cute, cute! And so easy I could even whip out a few while watching tv with the hubs in the evening! Thanks! Appreciate the talents of those who can figure out how to make things and are willing to pass along the how-to’s to the rest of us.
Love these pumpkins, and wanted to let you know that I'm featuring them as part of Link It or Lump It today. Thanks for participating in our link party!
I absolutely love this! Pinned. It is so fun to party with you. Thank you. I hope to see you at our party on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls
Your pumpkins are so fun! Thanks for sharing them at The Project Stash last week….we featured them!
Please please please share this fab tutorial at my Show Me Saturdays (party starts at 7:00 am EST). My readers would love this!
~ Ashley