Pumpkins are synonymous with fall. I love heading out to the country to go pumpkin picking and use heirloom pumpkins in my decor. However, I wanted to create some fall decor I could re-use year after year, without having to buy as many pumpkins.
Enter the velvet pumpkins. I was inspired by this shop Love Feast that makes plush pumpkins. They have beautiful natural stems, and look to be very well made, but are a little pricey (over $100 for three pumpkins). Although, if you lack the time to make your own velvet pumpkins, buying pumpkins from Love Feast would be a good option.
For me, though I wanted to create something similar for less money, as well as make extra pumpkins I could give as gifts. For less than $50 I was able to buy four yards of velvet fabric to make countless pumpkins (so far I've made 12 and probably used a third of the fabric I purchased). I bought the fabric from Online Fabric store. The brand is Bella Velvet, in the colors Pearl, White and Gray.
The hardest part about making the pumpkins is finding the right stems. You have to collect stems from real pumpkins. I just pried off the tops of the stems of pumpkins I had already bought. My friends donated a few pumpkin stems as well. You want them to look natural and proportioned to whatever size pumpkin you are making.
The first step to making the pumpkin is to trace a circle on the velvet fabric. I used large dinner plate, small dinner plate, and a bowl to trace for different sized circles.
Next you do a basting stitch around the edge of the circle, about 1/4" seam allowance, putting the knot on the backside of the fabric. Use thread with a coordinating color and leave a long tail to close up the pumpkin later.
Then you cinch up the thread, gathering the folds to make a pocket. Beans are then added to give weight to the pumpkin and make it sturdy.
Last you stitch back and forth across the opening, closing the hole at the top of the pumpkin. The final touch is gluing a real pumpkin stem on top with a hot glue gun.
I've used the pumpkins to decorate our entryway, but you could also put them in a large bowl, like a bread bowl and put them on your coffee table.
Hope you enjoy my velvet pumpkins! They will be making an appearance again next year. Let me know of any crafts you've made that you reuse on a yearly basis.
The Anne with an E