This year I am a little obsessed with dollar store pumpkins, their almost realistic pumpkin stems and the huge varieties of styles you make when you cover pumpkins with fabric!! Let me show you just how to cover pumpkins with fabric with this quick and easy tutorial.
Regular readers will know how much I love crafting with old jeans, so its only natural I have completely zoned in with denim as my fabric choice. But the technique for covering pumpkins with fabric can be applied to any fabric choice, from burlap to funky fabric patterns or use up fabric scraps and go for a mosaic type look.
Like the mini pumpkin? Check out my how to make fabric pumpkin no sewing tutorial.
Involve all the family, or enjoy time on your own crafting with this easy fall craft. Lets quickly and easily change up the look of plastic pumpkins creating super easy home decor.
DIY Fabric Covered Pumpkins
Materials for your DIY Pumpkins with fabric
- Plastic Pumpkins (dollar tree or amazon are good sources)
- Glue – I suggest ant of the following Modge Podge, Fabric Tac, Glue gun
- Orange color acrylic paint (if your pumpkin is white)
- Paint brush
- Craft knife
- Fabric
- Jute Twine
- Taylors chalk
- Cutting matt
Step 1 – Paint your plastic pumpkin orange.
I suggest using acrylic paint as it will adhere well to the plastic and give a strong colour. Set aside to dry.
Step 2 – Cut strips of fabric.
Place you fabric onto your pumpkin, using taylors chalk roughly mark the width and length of one panel down the side of the pumpkin. Cut as many fabric strips as their are panels, I suggest fractionally wider than measured with taylors chalk.
Step 3 – Add the texture.
Using a sharp craft knife cut horizontal lines down the fabric strips. I have two parallel lines approx 1/2″ wide (the size will depend on your size of pumpkin). Using a stiff brush brush the cuts to create the frayed edges.
Step 4 – Apply glue to one side panel
I always use what I have to hand so worked with Fabric Tac which happily adheres plastic and fabric, and dries quickly. Alternative’s you could use are modge podge with a foam brush or hot glue if you have a glue gun.
Step 5 Apply fabric
Pry the pumpkin stem loose from the pumpkin – you don’t need to remove it, you need just enough space to slide your fabric underneath. Place your first strip of fabric onto the side panel, trim any excess fabric, sliding the top of the fabric strip under the pumpkin stem.
Work your way round the entire pumpkin, trimming excess fabric as you go.
Step 6 Jute trim
The finishing touches are to cut a piece of twine and glue down each of the curvy dips on the sides of the pumpkin. This accent color really does add the finishing touch to your pumpkin makeover.
What type of pumpkins can I use?
Don’t have access to plastic pumpkins? I strongly advise not using real pumpkins, although there is no reason you cant! It just feels wrong when they are a food source, I don’t like food waste! Why not try foam pumpkins instead.
Variations: DIY pumpkins crafts
Choose different fabrics, keeping the frayed textural qualities. A cream linen, with jute finish looks classy!
Or forget the frayed edges and go full on decoupage fabric pumpkin with plaid fabrics, use old cloth scraps or lovely new fat quarters, the choices are endless.
Whatever you fabrics you choose fabric covered pumpkins make an adorable fall accent piece.
If you have a pile of old jeans you are wondering what to do with I have many other awesome ways to repurpose your old jeans. Do check them out!
