I hoard textiles. Ask my husband. Small pieces of fabric no bigger than a square foot are piled high in our “bonus room”, waiting for the day when they will become: a quilt, a Christmas stocking, a baby blanket…
 
I’ve dragged them through two moves, and this past weekend I’ve finally put some of them to good use. In honor of autumn, I give you fabric pumpkins.


Pull them out year after year for dining table centerpieces, mantle décor, or something special for your entry hall. The color and pattern options are as endless as your nearest fabric store will allow. I worked with velvet, silk, and cotton and found them all relatively easy to manipulate. Velvets and silks pick up the light in a way that’s moody and luxurious. Linens and cottons are more casual and have a wider selection of patterns and colors.
 
The good news: the project is easy enough to do with children, or at ladies’ wine night. I made mine over Saturday morning coffee—I don’t trust myself with Krazy glue and a glass of cabernet.
 
Supplies:
Assorted fabrics
needle and thread
dried beans (navy, black—your preference)
batting
Krazy glue
fabric glue (I used Sobo glue)
pumpkin stems (I found my pumpkin stems at a few pumpkin patches here in Charleston. You can also buy $1 pumpkins—the stems pop right off)
 


Step 1. Cut your fabric into circles using basic household items —kitchen bowls, wastebaskets—to get a perfect circle.
 
Step 2: With your needle and thread, hand stitch ¼-inch from the edge of the circle, creating roughly half-inch sections. Make sure you’ve tied a knot at the end of your thread! Once you’ve made it all the way around the circle, cinch the fabric up.

 
Step 3: Fill the bottom of the pumpkin with enough dried beans to keep it upright. Fill the remainder of the space with your preferred amount of batting.
 
Step 4: Secure the top of the pumpkin by tying a knot in your thread. I found that velvet fabrics require and additional layer of criss-crossing over the top to get the opening fully closed.


 
Step 5: Rub the top of the pumpkin’s closure with a fingertip amount of fabric glue. Then, take your pumpkin stem and rub the bottom and sides of it with Krazy glue. Hold the stem down on top of the pumpkin closure for 30 seconds or more. Et voila!

 
Note: To make your fabric pumpkins extra special, fill them with a little bit of lavender, or some cloves to make your room smell great.