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This is a great introductory sewing craft to learn the basics!
Materials Needed:
Fabric pieces (various fall colors, patterns, etc)
Large Needle, Thread, Sewing pins, Embroidery floss
Felt pieces
Scissors
Craft Steps: Getting Started
1) Cut your fabric into a rectangle with its length approximately twice its width. (The measurements for these pumpkins are not really exact, so you have some wiggle room if your piece of fabric isn’t a perfect size.) To get a taller pumpkin, increase the width. To get a wider pumpkin, increase the length.
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2) Once you have your rectangle of fabric, fold it in half ("hamburger style"), with right sides together so you roughly have a square. Pin the edges together and sew a seam down the side opposite the fold.
*Sew with a double threaded needle: a double thread is when you pull the thread all the way through the eye and tie a knot at the end. It creates a thicker thread for sewing.
Make sure to loop the thread a few times around the starting side so it is secured (like an end seam). Sew the open side closed and tie off the end.
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Making the Pumpkin
3) Now you’re going to sew a gathering stitch around what will be the bottom of the pumpkin. Leave the fabric inside out.
- Double Thread your needle with about a foot of thread
- Push the needle through the wrong side of the fabric first (so your knot will end up on the inside), 1/4″ from the edge. (You’re only sewing through one side of the fabric “tube” so don’t go through the opposite side.)
- Start sewing a gathering stitch all the way around the outside, maintaining that 1/4″ seam allowance.
- A gathering stitch is an in-and-out stitch. So, go down one side and up the other, down one side, up the other…and keep repeating.
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4) Once you’ve gone all the way around the edge, pull the thread to cinch the pumpkin closed. As you hold the thread tightly with one hand, stick your needle back through some of the gathers. Do this a few times in different directions, picking up different gathers–this is mostly for more reinforcement.
At this point, make a knot, stick the needle back through the gathers a few times and then trim the thread.
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5) Fill your pumpkin with fiber scraps until it’s “comfortably full”–you don’t want it jam-packed or it will be really hard to do the next steps.
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6) Once it’s filled, sew another gathering stitch to close the top (extra fabric at the top forms the Stem!). Repeat the same process from the previous steps (3 & 4) to reinforce and close.
Craft Steps: Making the Grooves
7) Double Thread your needle with embroidery floss.
Starting from the bottom, push your needle through to the center so you have your thread secured.
Make your first “groove”: pull the thread along the seam (on the outside of the pumpkin) and pull the thread all the way around the pumpkin. This creates your first groove. Stitch through the bottom/center again and position your thread for the next groove.
Keep making grooves every couple inches by laying the thread against the outside, and securing at the bottom.
You will need to keep holding the thread tight for each groove (if it slips, just adjust the tightness after you make the next groove).
Once you’ve made your last groove, make a large knot to secure the thread.
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8) You have several different options for stems: you can wrap felt around the remaining fabric stem and sew together, you can hot glue a small branch or wooden dowel or cork to the top
You can add spiral pipe cleaners for the vines!
Optional: cut out a small circle of felt to sew or hot glue (low temp!) to the bottom of the pumpkin where the gathers and threads show.
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Create these Spooky Yarn Garlands for DIY decor!
Materials Needed:
Yarn (various colors)
Twine or Brown yarn
Pipe cleaners of similar colors ^
Scissors
Craft - Pumpkins:
1) Wrap yarn around four fingers about 60 times or so. (It should be tight enough to stay in place but not so tight that it's uncomfortable.)
2) Cut a ~10 inch piece of yarn and stick it between your fingers to wrap it around the big yarn loop
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3) Line up the piece of yarn in the middle of the yarn loop, and tie – pulling taut and wrapping around the backside as well.
4) You now have your basic pumpkin shape. Don’t trim the strands yet!
5) Cut a 2-inch piece of pipe cleaner. Wrap the pipe cleaner around the pumpkin top to form the stem.
6) Pretty up your pumpkin by tucking in any loose loops
Continue making pumpkins until you have enough for your garland!
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Craft - Spooky:
Spider:
1) Follow Steps 1 - 4 in the pumpkin garland using black yarn.
2) Use the black pipe cleaners cut into smaller sizes to create spider legs - loop one end of the pipe cleaners through the yarn pom pom and shape like a spider’s legs.
Continue making spiders until you have enough for your garland!
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Ghost:
1) Follow steps 1 & 2 in the pumpkin garland craft. You may do a few less wrap arounds in step 1.
2) Pull the looped yarn off your hand, keeping the loop in tact. Line up the long piece of yarn around the top 1/3 of the yarn loop – and tie very tightly. This will create the head and body of your ghost.
3) Cut the bottom loop to make your ghost body.
Continue making ghosts until you have enough for your garland!
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Garland:
Using the loose strings on the pumpkin/spiders/ghosts - tie them around the twine/yarn. Or Weave twine between the two halves of the pipe cleaner. Then twist the pipe cleaner back around the twine to make sure it stays in place.
Tie them all together for a Spooky, Fall, Halloween garland!
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Create your own adorable ghost decorations!
Materials Needed:
White Fabric pieces
Fabric scraps for stuffing
White yarn
Black Marker
Craft:
1) Cut your fabric into a square. (approx. 9 inches x 9 inches).
2) Draw short dashes around the edges of the fabric. (Or try other patterns or designs like polka dots and other shapes.)
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3) Flip the fabric over. Place a ball of fabric scraps in the center of the fabric, and gather it around like a ball to form the head of your ghost.
4) Tie a piece of yarn around the neck to secure.
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5) Draw eyes (and a face) on your ghost with a black marker.
6) Tie another piece of yarn to hang your ghost for spooky decorations!
This Paper Plate Owl Craft is a HOOT!
Materials Needed:
Markers (Browns, oranges, yellows)
Ribbon
Construction paper (various colors, small sizes ok)
Paper plates (or we suggest they have their own)
Scissors & Glue
Craft:
1) Color the paper plate the color you want your owl (brown or other color).
2) Cut the following shapes from your construction paper:
3) Glue the medium circle to the center of the large circle, then glue the small circle to the center of the medium circle. Repeat.
4) Cut one of the paper plates in half (or use construction paper) for the wings. Trim the top of the remaining paper plate to form two ears at the top.
5) Glue the eyes to the front of the plate and glue the beak directly below the eyes.
6) Glue the wings to the back of the body plate.
7) You can tape a piece of yarn to the back to create a hanger if you wish. You can poke holes into the eyes, and tie yarn to make a mask.
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