It's that time of year when we pull out our sweaters and make pumpkins? Yes, we make pumpkins. Lots of DIY Sweater Pumpkins! These are so simple and fun to make. I have made all kinds of pumpkins over the years but these are my favorite because they stitch up super easy and hold their shape so well. The textures and colors are limitless!
To make a DIY Sweater Pumpkin you will need...
- An old sweater. (If you don't want to cut up one of your favorites a thrift store is a good place to find sweaters.)
- Matching embroidery floss to the sweater you choose to cut.
- Fiberfill batting
- A long tapestry needle. (Available in most craft and sewing stores.)
- Scissors
- A piece of wood stem.
- Various ribbons, laces, dollies, dried or silk flowers to embellish. (Optional)
Turn your sweater inside out and lay the arms flat. Cut a length of about 8 to 10 inches above the cuff. You can sometimes get to pumpkins from one sleeve. The size of the pumpkin will be determined by the length you cut off, so you can make them as big or small as you want.
Thread the needle with a couple of feet of the embroidery floss and knot the end.
Start a running stitch to close the end of the pumpkin by going up and down around the opening of the sleeve pulling the embroidery floss through until you have gone all the way around.
Cinch it closed and tie a double knot in the embroidery floss ends to keep the opening closed.
Turn the pumpkin piece right side out and fill full with the Fiberfill batting. It should be full but still squishy enough to make the pumpkin indents.
Turn the pumpkin piece right side out and repeat the cinching and running stitch to close the top of your pumpkin.
Now that the top is secured it is time to make your pumpkin indents. Thread the embroidery floss in the tapestry needle and loop through the top gathers of the pumpkin and tie off into a knot to secure it.
Starting at the top pull the embroidery floss all the way to the bottom of the pumpkin and push the needle through from the bottom to the top. Pull the needle and floss hard enough to make in indent and then while holding it tight repeat this again on the opposite side of the pumpkin from where you made your first indent to make another until you have game all the way around your pumpkin.
Gather together laces, ribbons, dried or silk flowers or other embellishments you like. Cut branches to make stems. If you do not have access to tree limbs you can use rolled cardboard covered in twine.
Hot glue the stem in place at the gathered top of the pumpkin. Hot glue the various embellishments to decorate your pumpkins they way you want. Be creative! I used pieces of old dollies to make "leaves" and used blue instead of orange as this is the most on-trend color for fall pumpkins this year.
Really there are so many options for how you can decorate your pumpkins or if you want them simple then add nothing but a stem! I made my first batch of pumpkin sweaters in under an hour and their neutral colors will allow me to keep them out through the end of November!
I told you these are super simple and just look how cute they are! I am on the hunt now for "ugly" fall sweaters to make a collection of colorful pumpkins specifically for Halloween gifts. Happy stitching and have a great week!
