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Hello friends! I’ve been pondering this thing that I seem to see every single August here in Tennessee: summer is over when school is back in session. I’m telling you what, that seems so strange to me. It’s 100 degrees outside, our flower garden is still producing like nobody’s business and everybody is talking Fall and Pumpkins. WHAT??? Of course for those of you that have been reading my blog here for any amount of time, you know that I never let go of summer until the frost really IS on the pumpkin!
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However, in thinking about writing this blog post the only thing that kept coming to my mind was to show you how to make one of my Fall Fabric Pumpkins! If you start now, by the time it’s really pumpkin decorating time, you’ll have a whole pumpkin patch! (I wrote this tutorial for MaryJanesFarm magazine several years ago and it is always a favorite. So it seemed time to share it again!)
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Lets get started!!!
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The supplies you will need are:
Scissors
Embroidery Thread and Needle
Fabric of choice – you can use anything from an old flannel shirt to beautiful velvet
Polyester filling
Sticks (for pumpkin stem) in various sizes depending on the size of the pumpkin
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Embellishments such as: felt leaves, twine, stem wire, buttons, fabric patches
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Lay your fabric flat and cut it into a circle. (You can free-hand cut, or use a circular item as a pattern.) The larger your circle, the bigger the pumpkin!
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Using a long piece of six strand embroidery thread, thread your needle and sew a simple running stitch close the edge of the circle. Continue this all the way around. Do not tie a knot on either end.
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Draw in your thread on both ends, gathering the fabric up. Leave an opening for stuffing.
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Stuff your pumpkin with the polyester filling. You want to stuff it until it puffs up, but not stuff it tight.
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Tighten up the threads to close the opening. Leave a little opening to slip your stick stem into the hole. Tie the threads in a large knot.
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Choose your stem and check it for size before glueing it into place. Then, using your hot glue, carefully glue your stem into the opening of the pumpkin.
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Embellish your pumpkin.
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Embellishing the pumpkin when you are finished is one of the funnest things of this project. Here are a few simple embellishment ideas:
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Cut out a leaf shape from felt and free hand embroidery a design.
Using stem wire, twist it into a coil and wrap around the stem to mimic the pumpkin vine.
Glue decorative buttons next to the stem.
Cut contrasting fabric into little patches and embroidery onto the pumpkin.
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So tell me… are you ready for some pumpkin decorating or are you like me… hanging on to summer with everything you’ve got? I really am trying to look forward to Fall. After all it means no more mowing, no more weeding, no more early mornings, cool weather for some Fall runs, and so many things. So I’m going to focus on those positives!
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And just to prove that it’s still summer here in Tennessee, here is a picture of my daughter and I delivering three wooden crate loads of bouquets from our garden to a Farm to Table event! The flowers were so beautiful!
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Thank you friends, for sticking with me through the seasons!
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Until our gravel roads cross again… so long.
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Dori
I’m going to make some of these! Beautiful. Thanks.
Hi Dori, I always love to read your up-lifting inspiring blog, and your pumpkin idea is so sweet!! We live in the foothills of beautiful Mt Rainier in Washington State, and it has already begun the “leaf-turning process” that shows us fall is on it’s way. We are in the midst of gathering our first round of wild chanterelle mushrooms and getting them canned, which is a sure sign fall is nearing. Wishing you and your family the best and looking forward to reading your next post. Laurel
Your pumpkins are simply adorable!!
Love reading your blog posts…always!
Enjoy every little bit of Summer!
Fall will have its time in the limelight soon enough!
Dori so cute!!!! Love them.
cute pumpkins and thanks for the instructions! I will definitely try to make some. I’m wearing my white pants for the last time today and getting ready for fall-ish weather or at least in my mind fall-ish weather!
Love this pumpkin craft! Like you, I go into Fall kicking and screaming. I love Fall, but love Summer more! Fall never lasts long enough for us here in South-Central IL. Always means frost and snow not too far away.
I will be making some of these in different sizes to tuck here and there among the bookshelves for this fall. 🙂
Unlike you, Dori, I love Fall. I love the cooler temperatures, sitting outside in the evening with less bugs bugging me, (mosquitoes love me), and I love the idea of decorating for Fall, Thanksgiving and Winter, Christmas. I used to decorate for Halloween but gave all my decorations away one year. The Fall colors are something to see and take pictures of, pretty as a gift card. And then of course, Winter is next. I have heard we may have a pretty cold and snowy one this year and I love snow also. So I hope you will enjoy the beautiful Fall colors this year and the cooler temperatures too. Thanks for the pumpkin idea.
Fall is my favorite season. I do not like Summer,too hot and too many bugs. The pumpkins you designed are lovely.
Marilyn
I love hearing from the Farmgirls.
I am hanging on to summer too. I like fall, but I hate to let summer go…I may have to give these pumpkins a try. Looks like fun. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Dori –
I loved your posting and the easy instructions for making Pumpkins. I would love to get started on this right away and fill my house with these. Thanks for the idea!
Happy Pumpkin Making! Diane
Love this post. I love Fall…being a native of New England. However, I’ve been in FL far longer than I was in New England and, like you, I’m not seeing Fall in the near future!
Thanks for the tutorial!
I’m with you, Dori! Our summer here in Mary Jane territory has been very cool this year, with few actual hot days. So when that temperature goes up and everybody cranks up their air conditioning, my windows are wide open while I cling to summer with all of my might. Cute fall decorations like this sneak up from behind and make me begin the transition, sigh. I have to admit though, except for the fact that it’s followed by October, September really is my favorite month ~ and a great time to start a cute project like this!
Love your blog post. I made some of these pumpkins last year, they are easy and fun to make. I also live in middle Tennessee and it is unseasonably hot right now.