Craftee Crafter: Cloth Patchwork Pumpkin Tutorial

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Cloth Patchwork Pumpkin Tutorial

This is a tutorial for a patchwork cloth pumpkin, very nice for Thanksgiving decor, that I found at The Old Farmhouse, one of their Tuesday Tutorials shared by Maria. Be sure to visit her Etsy shop, Primitive Season, to see more of her wonderful crafts on sale, including this cloth patchwork pumpkin for those of you who like it but don't have the time to craft it. Thanks to The Old Farmhouse to for making this craft tutorial available!

:>D some craftee crafter news! :>D

Before I go on with the tutorial I just wanted to direct you to the page tab on top that reads "Prizes and Giveaways!" Click on that tab and then click on the link for the post that explains how you can become eligible to win a set of sea foam seaglass pendant and earrings. A very beautiful set that would look gorgeous on anyone over the holidays! Check back too because I have other contests I'm cooking up too!

:>D Ok on to the tutorial! :>D

Supplies:

fabric scraps
thread for sewing
fiber fill
thick thread for finishing
felt for stem and bottom
felt for curlee cue
wire or twisty tie
glue
embellishments (rusty things, tag, raffia, jute, etc...)

Patterns:

Pumpkin body - this pattern measures 7 inches from point to point and 3 inches wide. You can eyeball it.
Stem - this pattern measures 1 1/2 inches tall by 3 inches long.

Pumpkin Body:

Lay the pattern on your fabric diagonally. This will allow your pumpkin to stretch correctly if you stuff it super tight. Trace around your pattern and cut it out. You need 6 pieces.

You can use the same fabric for all 6 pieces or all different fabrics - whatever you like. I like 3 and 3.

Place 2 pieces together right sides facing each other.

Pin along one edge.

Sew from dot to dot about a 1/4 inch from the edge. Repeat with another 2 pieces, and then with the remaining 2 pieces.

You'll end up with three 2-piece sections of your pumpkin.

Same process. Put 2 sections together, right sides facing each other, pin and sew. Now you end up with a 4-piece section and a 2-piece section.

Now sew your last 2-piece section to the 4-piece section.

Last seam closes it up.

Fold your pumpkin flat and symmetrically. Sew a reinforcing stitch from where all the threads meet (dot) to the outside point (shown here in red thread). Refold and repeat (total of 3 times). This just holds everything together at the bottom. Don't do this at the top because you need to be able to flip your pumpkin right side out.

So go ahead - turn it right side out. Some of your stitches may separate a bit at the top when you do this. That's fine. No worries.

Now you can age or stain your pumpkin if you want.

When your pumpkin is dry, fill 'er up!

Tie your finishing thread around the pumpkin tightly. Do this three times over all sections of your pumpkin. Stick your thread ends into the top of the pumpkin.

Cut out a piece of felt the size of a quarter. Glue to the bottom of your pumpkin. This gives it a finished look.

Stem:

Cut out a strip of felt according to the pattern. Roll it and glue it. Play around with it and make it look like a pumpkin stem.

Glue the stem onto the top of the pumpkin. Some unfinished stuff may show, but don't worry. With the amount of glue you use, it all stays put. It also gets covered up with the bow.

Embellish:

Hang an aged tag or rusty doodad from the stem. Tie on a raffia or jute bow and trim ends to your liking. Attach your bell with a safety pin. You can also use spanish moss or floral berries or little birds or whatever you like for embellishments. Get creative here. Maybe you can use a strip of homespun for the bow.

Glue your bow around the base of the stem.

Curlee Cue:

You can use green floral wire for this, but I find that it doesn't look big enough. I cut a thin strip of green felt or fleece no wider than a shoe lace and about 3 inches long and glue it onto a piece of wire.