Fabric Pumpkins

by Jeani Miller Miner

We've all seen those funkins at Michael's and while they're totally fun for carving I wanted to give them a little pizzazz.

Aqua Taffeta with curly be-jeweled stem

I choose two round and one tall pumpkin for this project and three pieces of fabric. Aqua taffeta, orange silk and brown velvet. I used the flip side of the taffeta for stems. The first step was to remove the stems, which I cut out with a utility knife.

fabric pumpkins, crafts, seasonal holiday decor

I set the pumpkin in the center of the fabric and then working from opposite sides I picked up an edge, brought it to center and used a straight pin to secure it by pushing it into the funkin. This is where a thimble comes in handy!

I made sure to carefully distribute the fullness of the fabric to create lovely folds for depth and texture. Next I trimmed away all the excess fabric around the opening where the stem had been. I stitched new stems by making a long skinny tube of fabric (three times the length of the wire) and inserting a piece of heavy but still bendable wire inside. I ruched the fabric to create the gathers and shaped the wire to suggest a vine. The cheap wire hangers from the dry cleaners are perfect. I allowed the end of the wire to extend from the open end of the tube and pushed this down into the funkin. I turned the ends of the fabric under and hit it all with a bit of glue.

I continued to twist and play with the stem/vine till I was happy with the result. I wasn't quite done, so I took a long length of jewelry wire and threaded it with beads and twisted this around the stem. Each season when I bring them out, I go to the yard for some fall leaves and gather a few to adorn the tops. My brown pumpkin wears an actual stem and vine from squash that was grown in a neighbor's garden. I simply glittered the leaves.