Sew Thrifted Chenille Bedspreads into Small Fall Pumpkins

Greet your fall guests with a basket of stuffed pumpkins in your entryway. Dig through your fabric stash, sort through your old linens or haunt your favorite secondhand store for orange or fall-like colored fabrics. I scored two orange chenille bedspreads during my thrifting adventures that were absolutely perfect for crafting primitive orange gourds for fall decorating. One bedspread has a lot of fabric so there is the potential for crafting a lot of pumpkins for fall craft shows.

Step 1
Draw a 7-inch wide by 8-inch long rectangle on lightweight cardboard and cut out. Round the corners on one short end for the bottom of the pumpkin shape. Taper the long sides in a curve to the other short end (the top), making the top 3 inches long and centered on the short end. This is your pattern.

Step 2
Fold your fabric into two layers with the right sides together. If your fabric doesn't have a right or wrong side, then it doesn't matter which sides are together. The sides facing will be the outside of your pumpkin. Lay the pattern on the fabric and trace around it. Pin the layers together and cut out the shape.

Step 3
Sew around the pinned shape using a 1/2-inch seam allowance. Do not sew the top edge. Turn the pumpkin right side out and fill it with stuffing. Note: If your fabric is not as thick or lumpy as a chenille bedspread, you could use a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

Step 4
Hunt for a stick in your yard that is the thickness of your thumb. Break it or cut it with a chop saw to measure 5-inches long. I did it both ways and liked the effect of both. Sticks with a "Y" shape or curves are also kind of quirky.

Step 5
Burrow your finger down into the pumpkin from the open top end. Dribble craft glue into the hole and insert half the length of the stick. Hand sew a running stitch around the top edge of the opening. Pull the thread to gather the fabric around the stick and knot the thread.

Step 6
Rip a 2-inch wide by 10-inch long strip of green fabric. Wrap the strip around the base of the stem and tie it into a knot. Cut a small sprig of artificial orange pip berries. Apply glue to the stem of the pip berries and insert it into the gathered edge of the pumpkin.