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Home » From the Blog » How to Make Fabric Pumpkins

How to Make Fabric Pumpkins

by Regina 9 Comments

Are you looking for inexpensive fall decor? I’m sharing this fabric pumpkin DIY so you can create a pumpkin patch for your home.

Pumpkins are an easy way to get that fall feel on your porch or inside your home.

I’M OBSESSED
Buying real pumpkins too early can result in goosh and rot by the end of October. If you want your decor to last through Thanksgiving you want to check out these fabric pumpkins.

The cost is pennies – the options are endless. You could use cloth napkins, shirts, pillow cases, blankets, you get the picture.

You might even be lucky enough to have foam from a mattress cover your dog chewed and use that for stuffing and the entire thing wouldn’t cost a cent.

As you can will see, I cannot stop making these fabric pumpkins. This is a DIY you need to try.

THEY CAN BE NEUTRAL – PUMPKINS DON’T HAVE TO BE ORANGE

They require only a small amount of material. They are easy, I promise.

I’ve bought some over the years at the store, settling for the colors available. This past year after an unscheduled rug replacement, my living room colors became more neutral. So creating my own pumpkins to match my home made sense.

Table of Contents

    •  
    • THE MATERIAL
    •  
  •  
  • STEPS TO MAKE A FABRIC PUMPKIN
  • MATERIAL AND SIZE
    •  
    •  
  • SEWING THE PUMPKIN
    •  
  • FILLING YOUR PUMPKIN
    •  
  • FINISHING THE PUMPKIN
    •  
  • ADDING THE STEM TO YOUR PUMPKIN
  • FINAL TOUCHES
    • VIDEO
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  FOR MORE FUN FALL INSPO CLICK HERE OR HERE
    •  
    •  
    •  
    • More Like This

 

THIS ONE HAS A REAL STEM. I STARTED SAVING THEM AND ASKED MY NEIGHBORS TOO!

I like to decorate for the seasons and holidays within the color palette of my rooms. Weird? Maybe. But these fabric pumpkins make it easy to customize your decor.

I created a video with all of the steps but will lay them out below. Before I do that, can you just look at the cuteness?

Sometimes I look at things and think “oh I can make that” then sometimes, it never enters my mind. Especially when it involves sewing.

Maybe it was my newfound confidence after using my sewing machine for the flannel shirt DIY’s. But I began to think about making these.

THE MATERIAL

I looked online for some stretchy velvet but then saw the prices and nixed that. I went to Walmart and picked up some grey precut fleece. It was very inexpensive and I wouldn’t feel bad if I ruined it.

I could make 8 medium pumpkins from a yard of material…at least.

SOMETIMES I TIE ON SHELLS TO THE TWINE

I made my first two with the grey. You probably already know I love collecting things on the beach and had plenty of driftwood to create a stem.

Of course I added some of my baby oyster shells and twine.

I had this grey and white material in my office and can’t remember why I bought it, but that was my next pumpkin.

 

ADDING THE SPANISH MOSS IS A GREAT LOOK

You can find fun types online, I found this nubby fleecy (great descriptor) material and picked it up in navy and cream. I love it. It’s so snuggly.

YOU CAN ADORN TO FIT ANY DECOR STYLE

Now can you see why I can’t stop making them?

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BLUE PUMPKINS

Ok now I will focus and tell you how to make one…or 8.

 

STEPS TO MAKE A FABRIC PUMPKIN

MATERIAL AND SIZE

1. Pick your material or use an old shirt.

2. Find something round to trace a circle, a bowl, pan lid.

 

TRACING THE PUMPKIN USING A PLASTIC BOWL

3. Lay your material out flat and trace around the bowl or object.

4. Cut along the line and you will have one round piece of material.

 

CUTTING MY CIRCLE

SEWING THE PUMPKIN

5. Thread your needle using upholstery thread or a very strong thread.

6. Make a knot in your thread and begin basting in and out of your circle.

 

STITCHING AROUND THE OUTER EDGE

FILLING YOUR PUMPKIN

7. Add rice or beans or sand to the bottom of the circle for weight. Here I added lentils…

FILLED WITH LENTILS…WHATEVER YOU HAVE ON HAND WORKS

8. Have your poly fill or chewed up foam from guest bed the dog chewed.

 

AFTER RICE OR BEANS OR SAND, I ADDED SOME FOAM

9. Oops, disregard 8, use poly fill or any thing you have on hand to stuff.

FINISHING THE PUMPKIN

10.Pull the thread with the needle so the entire piece begins to gather.

SEWING USING THE NEEDLEPOINT NEEDLES

11. Finish stuffing to your liking, more full equals more plump.

12. Pull the thread tight so the hole closes, hold carefully so it stays tight.

13. Don’t cut the thread, but begin stitching up the top. Just go in and out and back and forth, it will be covered with the stem so it’s no time to be perfect.

 

FINISHING PULLING THE TOP TIGHT AND SECURING

14. Stitch top together so there is no hole left. Like the picture above.

ADDING THE STEM TO YOUR PUMPKIN

15. Using hot glue add your stem whether it be real, driftwood, a stick.

ADDING THE DRIFTWOOD STEM

FINAL TOUCHES

16. Add twine if desired around the stem and glue down. This could hide any imperfections.

Here is the one from the flannel shirt. You could make two wine bags to match! – The directions for that are here.

FABRIC PUMPKIN MADE FROM A THRIFTED FLANNEL SHIRT

VIDEO

 

 

 

Ok and a few more pictures of the ones I’ve made.

So glad you stopped by to read about my pumpkin problems.

Seriously these are so easy to make. You can have your own Fabric DIY Pumpkin in no time.

What a sweet hostess gift it would be.

You could personalize them with air dry clay tags…or I could just stop here and let you go on about your day!

I USED AIR DRY CLAY TO MAKE TAGS TO ADD WHEN GIFTING

Til next time, XO, Regina

P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe or share with a friend if you enjoy what you see.

 FOR MORE FUN FALL INSPO CLICK HERE OR HERE

Oh – one more thing. I took pictures of two of the pumpkins and put them through my watercolor app (Waterlogue) on my phone. They look so adorable, you could make some then take a picture and put in the app then make the most adorable fall cards for the cost of the paper. Maybe I should save for another post! But look below. How beautiful?

 

 

 

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Filed Under: DIY , Event Inspiration Tagged With: COZY, DIY, FALL, FLANNEL

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Comments

  1. Rachel Harper says

    August 9, 2022 at 7:57 AM

    Regina,
    These pumpkins are so darn cute. I can’t wait to share your fun tutorial on Thursday.

    Reply
    • Regina says

      August 9, 2022 at 8:36 PM

      Thanks Rachel – excited to be part of your hop!

      Reply
  2. Lora Bloomquist says

    August 10, 2022 at 6:02 PM

    This is similar to how I make them, but I love your fabric choices! They are kind of addicting;)

    Reply
  3. stacy says

    August 11, 2022 at 7:59 AM

    Regina what a cute DIY!!! Love it!

    Reply
  4. AnnMarie says

    August 11, 2022 at 1:39 PM

    These are so cute. Love the nubby textures. Pinned!

    Reply
  5. Jennifer Howard says

    August 12, 2022 at 8:10 AM

    The white fuzzy one is my favorite!!

    Reply
  6. 90 club says

    May 9, 2025 at 8:07 AM

    I absolutely love this fabric pumpkin DIY idea! It’s such a creative way to use salvaged materials, and the colors you chose are perfect for fall. I can’t wait to try making some for my home décor! Thanks for sharing this wonderful project!

    Reply

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