These fabric pumpkins are SO easy to make and add a modern twist to classic fall decor. With a few scraps of fabric and some faux flowers and leaves, you can dress up these mini styrofoam pumpkins in no time! Such a cute and creative, non-traditional Autumn DIY craft idea!
If you haven’t already noticed, I’m not one for traditional colours when it comes to the holidays. Since Canadian Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away, I thought I’d try making something fun to add a festive flair to my apartment this year!
These small, styrofoam pumpkins are easy to spruce up and can be modified in a bunch of ways. In addition, they look great on a shelf, on stairs, or as table decor. You can even use the smaller ones as place cards.
This easy to follow tutorial will show you all the basic steps for making your own sweet and spiffy pumpkins. Use mine as inspiration, or change them up to be totally traditional if that’s more your style!
Check out my video on How to Make Fabric Pumpkins
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Looking for even more DIY decor ideas? These are some of my favourites!
30 Amazing Pumpkin Decorating Ideas
How to Make a Paper Plant
Simple Rope Plant Hangers
NO-SEW FABRIC PUMPKINS
The full printable list of instructions is available at the end of this post, but here’s a list of affiliate links that will take you to products on Amazon similar to the supplies I used.
- Mini Styrofoam Pumpkins
- Colourful Scraps of Fabric
- Assorted Faux Flowers
- Glue Gun (low temp)
- Wire Cutters
- Rotary Cutter
These mini pumpkins are really easy to throw together and you only need a few supplies to make it happen. I found these cute styrofoam pumpkins on Amazon that sparked the idea to wrap them and add some faux florals on top.
Cutting your Pumpkin
Grab one of the pumpkins and a serrated knife. Pop them on top of a cutting mat if you have one.
Insert the knife all the way into the centre of the pumpkin, pull it up then insert again beside the first cut. Keep going in a circle around the centre until you’re back where you started. You’ll want a hole that’s at least 1-1 1/4 wide. Cut it the exactly same way you’d start cutting a real pumpkin, except you’re cutting all the way through and not just the top.
Flip the pumpkin over and cut the same amount/shape out of the bottom.
Use your thumbs to push the core of the pumpkin out. Fair warning: this part is messy. Have your vacuum handy!
Pull the core out, and vacuum up all the loose styrofoam bits so your space is tidy. If you leave them, they will stick to everything, especially your faux flowers and fabric.
Wrapping your Pumpkin
Next, cut a piece of brightly coloured fabric into a square that measures approx. 16′ x 16′ (for the largest size pumpkin.) For reference, the big pumpkin in this set is 20cm in diameter. You just need to make sure you’ll be able to cover the whole pumpkin. No matter what size pumpkin you’re wrapping, start with a square and adjust your measurements accordingly. Leaving about 3-6 inches in each direction should be enough for each one, depending on the size of the pumpkin.
I love using a rotary cutter for fabric, since it makes the cutting process really quick and easy. Don’t worry if your lines aren’t straight, it won’t make any difference once your pumpkin is wrapped.
Place the pumpkin in the centre of the fabric. Working in a clockwise motion, grab one corner of fabric and tuck it into the hole in the centre.
Keep moving in a circle, tucking and pulling the fabric taught as you go. When all the fabric is tucked in, use your fingers to push the ends in and tighten any loose pieces.
Once you’re happy with how it looks, you can start decorating!
Decorating your Pumpkin
You can use all sorts of things to decorate: faux flowers and leaves, feathers, pearls, ribbons, faux succulents, or even pom poms would look cute. I scored a bunch of fake flowers at Michaels for dirt cheap since it was the end of the season. Try to find flowers/materials that will coordinate with your fabrics!
Once you know which flowers you want to use, start placing them in the pumpkin. Use a pair of wire cutters to snip leaves and blooms off the stems. Get a sense of where everything is going to go BEFORE gluing them down.
Once you’ve got your design figured out, go ahead and start hot gluing each piece into the hole in the centre of of the pumpkin. Try using a few different colours of flowers and be sure to get some leafy greens in there for contrast.
Voila! Your beautifully wrapped and decorated pumpkin is ready to be put on display!
They’re SO pretty, not to mention, each pumpkin takes less than 20 minutes to make. You can make a whole collection in no time!
You can even turn the smaller pumpkins into place cards. How cute would these look on each plate at Thanksgiving dinner?
I’m obsessed with these colour combinations. Completely non-traditional but I LOVE how bright and happy they look.
Fabric Pumpkins: Tips and Tricks
- When bonding anything to fabric, using a low-temperature glue stick + glue gun works really well.
- If you find your fabric isn’t laying flat or you’re having trouble pulling it tight, use a blunt-ish tool to push it into the centre. When my fingers weren’t enough, I used the end of a pair of closed scissors to tighten the looser parts. Use a bit of hot glue if you have to.
- When decorating, try to add flowers and leaves in an a-symmetrical design. It adds a little more interest to the finished product.
- When decorating, don’t forget to turn the pumpkin, and decorate it from all angles so it looks good from the front and the back! This is especially important if you’re using them as centrepieces or for any kind of table decor.
Easy Fabric Pumpkins
Such a happy and festive, non-traditional DIY decor idea.
- Glue gun
- Rotary cutter
- Wire Cutters
- mini styrofoam pumpkins
- brightly coloured fabric ((assorted colours))
- faux flowers ((assorted colours))
Cutting the Pumpkin
Using a serrated knife, cut a hole in the centre of the top of a styrofoam pumpkin.
Flip the pumpkin over and cut a similar sized hole in the bottom of the pumpkin.
Gently push the cut-out core out of the pumpkin. Vacuum/clean up the messy styrofoam bits as necessary.
Wrapping the Pumpkin
Choose a bright fabric. Flatten it out on a table or the floor and place your pumpkin in the centre. Cut a square around it so there's at least 4-6 inches of fabric around it. Make sure the square will cover the whole pumpkin once it's all tucked in.
Place the pumpkin in the centre of the fabric. Working in a clockwise motion, grab one corner of fabric and tuck it into the hole in the centre.
Keep moving in a circle, tucking and pulling the fabric taught as you go. When all the fabric is tucked in, use your fingers to push the ends in and tighten any loose pieces.
Decorating the Pumpkin
Grab an assortment of faux flowers + leaves that will coordinate with your fabric. Use a pair of wire cutters to snip any blooms or greens for the design.
Start placing the leaves and flowers in the pumpkin to get an idea of how it will look. Once happy, use a glue gun to secure them in place.
Your fabric pumpkin is complete!
These cute fabric pumpkins are SUPER easy to make and add such a pretty pop of colour to any room or table decor. Such a happy and festive, non-traditional DIY decor idea.
If you liked Fabric Pumpkins, you should check these out too!
30 Amazing Pumpkin Decorating Ideas
How to Make a Paper Plant
Simple Rope Plant Hangers
