DIY Fabric Pumpkins

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These quick and easy fabric stuffed pumpkins can be made in any size and with whatever material you want! They are the perfect way to make custom fall decor in your favorite colors!

Four fabric pumpkins in pink and orange patterns with brown stems and ribbon bows are displayed on a white surface.

We used cotton fabric, but you can also use velvet, satin, jersey, flannel or old sweaters!

Be sure to see all of our Halloween sewing projects!

REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TIP: You will save yourself so much stress if you use a long tapestry needle rather than a small sewing needle. If you don’t have one, you can still get this sewing project done, but a tapestry needle is definitely a great investment for this project (and others)!

A hand is sewing closed a fabric ball with orange floral print using a needle and orange thread on a black grid cutting mat.

How to Make Fabric Pumpkins

Watch me make these pumpkins in my YouTube video found at end of these instructions.

Supplies

Fabric
Stuffing or Polyfill
Heavy-Duty Thread
Tapestry Needle
Embroidery Floss
Faux Pumpkin Stem (such as a wine cork, felt roll, etc.)
Hot glue gun
Optional: Embellishments (leaves, flowers, ribbon, etc.)

Directions

Step 1

Cut a rectangle of fabric. The length should be twice the width.

I used 8 inches wide X 16 inches long fabric.

Rectangular piece of white fabric with orange floral pattern placed on a black cutting mat with a grid.

Other good sizes for fabric rectangles are:

5″ X 10″ (perfect for scrap busting sewing projects!)
6″ X 12″ (the size of the small pink pumpkin in my photo)
10″ X 20″ (the size of the retro floral pink pumpkin in my photo)
12″ X 24″

Step 2

Fold the fabric in half, matching the short sides, with right sides together.

A hand lifts the top corner of a square piece of floral fabric placed on a black grid cutting mat.

Sew along the shorter sides with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. (You could hand sew this seam if you prefer.)

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching together two pieces of white fabric with a pink and yellow floral pattern.

Step 3

Thread a hand sewing needle with a long piece of strong thread and knot the end. Begin doing basting stitches along one of the long edges, through both layers of fabric.

(The edge you choose will become the base of the pumpkin, so if you are using a directional fabric, keep that in mind.)

Stitch long, straight stitches at least 1/2 inch down from the fabric edge. Continue until you get to the other side of the fabric. Remove the thread from the needle but do not cut.

On the knotted side of the thread, pull out a few inches of thread to make a tail. Now you should have thread tails on either side of the fabric.

Pull on the thread to gather the fabric. Once it is gathered tightly, wrap each side of the thread around the base of the gathers several times (going in opposite directions)and pull snuggly. Then knot the threads together to secure.

A hand is sewing closed the gathered edge of a white fabric with pink floral patterns on a grid cutting mat.

Step 4

Turn the fabric inside out. Now, do another basting stitch along the fabric edge. This time, only sew through one layer of the fabric all the way around.

A hand holds a piece of white fabric with orange floral print, sewn with a needle and thread, over a black grid cutting mat.

Just like before, gently pull on the threads to slightly start gathering the fabric to make a circle.

Step 5

Add stuffing or Polyfill into the middle of the pumpkin form, stuffing until reaching the desired firmness. You may need to gather the stitches together more tightly every now and then to keep the stuffing inside and not falling out.

Once the pumpkin is stuffed, pull on the threads to close the opening on top of the fabric pumpkin. This can be a little challenging, especially if you have a really stuffed pumpkin, but just keep pulling until there is no opening in the top of the fabric and it is all gathered together.

A hand holds a round, fabric item with orange floral print, gathered at the center; white stuffing and thread are visible on a black grid surface.

Tie a knot with the threads to secure. I suggest doing at least 3-4 knots.

Step 6

Cut a really long piece of embroidery floss (you are going to use a lot!) and thread on a tapestry needle. Knot the end.

A hand holds orange embroidery floss next to a round fabric pumpkin with an orange floral pattern, placed on a black cutting mat with a grid.

Insert the floss through the center of the bottom of the pumpkin. Push the needle through the pumpkin until it comes up through the center of the top of the pumpkin.

A hand holds a round fabric piece with orange floral print, gathered at the center with orange thread and needle on a black grid cutting mat.

(Sometimes you will need to push down on the stuffed pumpkin to get the needle to come out. It can be helpful to use pliers to pull out the needle for larger pumpkins.)

Wrap the floss from top to bottom on any side of the pumpkin, then insert the needle through the base and push it through to the top, again. Once the needle has come back through the top, pull on the floss to make an indentation in the fabric.

A hand holds orange thread while sewing an orange and white floral fabric pincushion on a black grid cutting mat.

Repeat this process over and over until you have made as many pumpkin indentations as you would like. Usually 6-8 indentations are good.

A round fabric pincushion with orange flowers, yellow thread, and a sewing needle rests on a black cutting mat with white measurement lines.

Knot the floss and cut off the ends.

Step 7

Hot glue a pumpkin stem to the middle of the pumpkin, covering the gathered top of the pumpkin. You can make a faux pumpkin stem by wrapping twine around a wine cork, rolling a piece of brown felt into a stem shape, etc.