Friday, June 1, 2012

Is it Fall yet?


I am SOOO in the mood for fall already. I know, I know, summer hasn't even started but I have been making some fall craft projects and I want to display them! PLUS, I LOVE making fabric pumpkins. This was one of my craft original patterns released in 1996. Wow, that was a long time ago. These pumpkins were such a joy for me to make. I had a huge kitchen back then and I would cover all of the counters with black trash bags and paint these pumpkins to my hearts content.

One year, I offered free models to all of the quilt shops that carried this pattern. I literally made hundreds of them from felt, wool, chenille, fabric and batting. Yes- quilt batting. Cotton batting from Warm & Natural. It made the best pumpkins.

Want to know how to do it?

1. Cut a rectangle from batting, say 9" x 18" wide. Too big? try 6" x 14".
2. Fold in half and sew the two short ends together, one seam in the back.
3. Hand-gather one open end with string, floss, pearl cotton or linen thread, pull tight and knot several times.
4. Turn inside out and stuff with poly-fli until firm, but not too firm.
5. Hand-gather the top and knot several times.
6. Using a long doll needle ( say 8") and a long piece of the thread you used in #3, go in and out from the center top to the center bottom to pull the center in tight. Knot again.
7. Then proceed to go top to bottom around the outside of the pumpkin to create the veins, pulling tight each time.
8. Knot the thread each time on the center top which will be covered by the stem later.
9. Mix orange paint with water, coffee or tea and slop it on using your hands (pre-manicure not post). It washes off your hands eventually and I would remove your rings first!
*** Using coffee or tea makes the colors separate once dried and gives a wonderful aged look.
Make different sized pumpkins from cotton batting, muslin, or chenille and paint each one a different shade of orange. Mix colors- it's fun!
My husband went int the woods and cut old knarly grapevine for me to use as stems. He sut them about 2"-3" and I hot glued them to the center top, covering the knots.
It makes a wonderful fall decoration and costs so little for so many, a small package of batting, a bottle of paint, some stuffing.

3 comments:

  1. Love your pumpkins! Not ready for fall just yet but I am ready to work on some fall projects...they are my favorites!

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  2. Autumn is my favorite season, all the colors of flowers, leaves, etc. and pumpkins are a favorite decoration. You can never have enough of them!!!

    Diane

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  3. Pumpkins will always be popular.
    They're so cute.
    Thanks for the insstructions!
    Marilyn

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