Featured Fabric: The Blank Quilting Corp. Late Summer Harvest by Lily Ford

Pattern Design by: Lindsay Conner

Sewn by: Lindsay Conner

This trio of fabric pumpkins makes a great coffee table or dining room decoration that you can set out from early fall through Halloween and Thanksgiving! You'll begin the project with some quick and easy machine sewing, then add the finishing touches by hand—it's that simple. The tutorial includes instructions for three different sizes, but you can easily customize your pumpkins to any size you like by using a fabric rectangle that’s twice as wide as it is tall. Let’s get started!

Skills Learned: Machine sewing, hand sewing

Skill Level: Beginner

Finished Size:

Small: 8.5” x 14” (21.59cm x 35.56cm)
Medium: 10” x 20” (25.4cm x 50.8cm)
Large: 12” x 24” (30.48cm x 60.96cm)

Fabric Requirements:

1 fat quarter (45.72cm x 55.88cm) of 2 different prints - for small/medium pumpkin
plus ½ yard (.46m) of a 3^rd print - for large pumpkin. I used:

• 3310-33 Orange - Plaid
• 3304-39 Tan - Hay Bales
• 3309-99 Autumn Leaves – Charcoal

Materials:
Sewing machine
Binding clips or pins
Scissors, rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat
Large hand-sewing needle, sewing thread, and embroidery floss
Fiberfill stuffing
Sticks to make stems
Glue gun
Floral or jewelry wire 

Instructions: Make the Pumpkins

1. Cut a rectangle of fabric for each pumpkin.

• For the small pumpkin, cut a 8.5” x 14” rectangle.
• For the medium pumpkin, cut a 10” x 20” rectangle.
• For the large pumpkin, cut a 12” x 24” rectangle.

2. Decide which pumpkin you’ll sew first. With right sides facing, fold the rectangle in half so it makes a square shape. Pin or clip together only the edge that’s opposite the folded edge. Sew a seam ¼” from the clipped edge, being sure to backstitch at both ends.

3. Now you have a fabric tube. With a hand-sewing needle and thread, tie a knot at the end of the thread and push through the fabric about ¼” from the edge of one of the openings. Next, begin to push the needle in and out of the fabric, traveling ¼” from the raw edge. This is called a running stitch, and each stitch can be about ¼” apart. Keep stitching until you have gone all the way around the opening.

4. With your needle still threaded, begin to pull the thread with your hand so that the fabric gathers together. Insert your threaded needle into the gather and through it several times to make a large knot.

5. Turn the fabric right side out to reveal the pumpkin print. The gathered knot you sewed in step 4 will form the base of the pumpkin.

6. With a needle and thread, sew a knot ¼” from the edge of the fabric opening like you did in step 3. Sew a running stitch ¼” from edge around the opening until you get to where you started. With your needle still threaded, begin to gather the pumpkin together, leaving an opening large enough to insert a fistful of fiber fill. Insert more fiber fill until the shape is a ball, and pull the thread tight to gather the opening.

7. Insert the needle through the opening several times to make a large, secure knot. Cut off the remaining thread.

8. Insert a long piece of 6-strand embroidery floss into a long needle with a large eye. Tie a knot through the fabric at the BOTTOM of the pumpkin near the gather. Insert the needle all the way through the center of the pumpkin so it comes out the TOP of the pumpkin at the gather.

Next, pull the floss taut and reinsert the needle through the BOTTOM of the pumpkin. Keep repeating this until you have several gathered sections, with the ball now having a pumpkin shape.

When you are satisfied, tie a secure knot near the top of the pumpkin several times. Cut off the extra floss.

9. Gather small sticks to use as pumpkin stems. Use a glue gun to secure one to the top of each pumpkin.

Tip: You may cut a piece of felt and glue it to the base if you want to cover up any messy stitching. Twist floral or jewelry wire around a pencil to make curls that can also be glued onto the pumpkin tops for decoration!

That’s it! We hope you enjoyed this easy sewing tutorial for fabric pumpkins. These are a fun beginner-friendly sewing project; you can even get kids involved in making them!

Fabric Details:

To view the complete Blank Quilting Corp. Late Summer Harvest by Lily Ford, click here.

To find a retailer near you click here.

Learn more about Lindsay here.