Anyway, these are the wool pumpkins I made this year. All of the wool is recycled. Meaning it came from thrift stores and was once your favorite blazer or skirt. It is then felted by washing it in hot water and drying it to shrink it. I will sometimes do it myself or buy off of Etsy. I have not ventured into the world of hand dying yet.
Are you ready to get started? Great! Be aware I was working in my MESSY craft room aka basement with horrible lighting so the color is off.
1. This was once someone's favorite burgundy Blazer that I tore apart and felted. You don't need a very big piece.
2. Gather up the secret supplies. Just kidding. You will need something round. This is a lid off of a jar that holds my buttons. Obviously the bigger the circle the bigger the pumpkin. You can either use a marker or colored pencil. I used marker it is much easier to see. A pair of sharp point scissors and one pipe cleaner. It doesn't matter what color. I had brown on hand. There will be a few more supplies later like polyfil, embroidery floss, and a darning needle.
3. Place your circle on the wool and draw around it. Now, I have not really cared which side is the right and which is the wrong side. If you do, then draw the circle on the wrong side of the fabric. This will be your sewing line. Double your fabric. Just fold it over and sew on the line all the way around. Be sure to lock your stitch. I use my sewing machine, but you could hand stitch it with small stitches.
3. Now take the sharp points of your scissor and snip towards the sewn line every 1/2"-3/4" but be careful not to cut your sewn line. I have found this helps keep the circular shape better and let's the wool relax once you turn it right side out.
4. Now for the magic part of turning it right side out since you sewed completely around the circle. Cut an X through one side of the fabric only. Do NOT cut both pieces. Only cut it enough to turn your pumpkin right side out.
5. Voila! Take your finger and run it along the inside seam to pop out the sides and round it out a bit.
6. Now take your fiberfill and stuff it good. Just like when you get a little too big for your jeans, but you stuff yourself in them anyway. I know I'm not alone! This girl loves her cake.
7. Now pick out the floss of your choice. I am going to use the darker floss that is comparable to 3 strands of DMC. That being said I have used all 6 strands of the DMC and liked it just as well. I just figured you could see the darker one easier.
8. It is all fun and games until someone gets their eye poked out. This needle is HUGE! Trust me you will want a longer pointed needle with a big eye (the better to see you with my dear lol) to push through all the polyfil. Trust me.
9. Unravel some thread maybe a yard or so. I like having too much than not enough. Knot the one end and then thread your needle. Starting from the side with the hole push your needle straight through to the middle of the other side. Pull the thread until the knot gets buried in there good.
10. As best as you can eyeball the middle of the other side and pull the needle and thread through.
11. Take the thread and wrap it around the pumpkin from top to bottom and push the needle back through where you started in the hole side and push it back up through the hole you just came out of.
12. Like so. Give it a tug. You will need to keep tension on it as you take the next stitch so it stays where it is.
13. Now, keep doing that all the way around trying to keep the strands evenly spaced. You can do as many sections as you would like.
14. Notice how I keep using the same hole to exit? Ok, I'm all done with the sections. I will tie a knot and stick it back through to hold the knot.
15. We now have a pumpkin. This is the top.
16. My secret ingredient for the stem is a pipe cleaner. I searched the web trying to find a good way to make a stem. Some were too hard and some, well, kinda not me. If you have dried out pumpkin stems those would look perfect. I know you can buy them off Etsy and Ebay BUT I am too cheap. Plus I already had everything on hand. Ok depending on how long you want your stem bend the pipe cleaner to the desired length and twist it together.
17. Now take one end and hot glue it or in my case Elmer's glue it in the hole. Sometimes there will be a tiny pocket you can slip it into, but I did too good of a job stuffing it. Hot glue will work best. UGH!
18. You will then need another piece of wool or regular fabric. Mine is about 1/2" wide and is wool. This is from the "I'm going to learn to rug hook days" And no I haven't learned yet. lol I forgot to take a picture, but starting at the top of the pipe cleaner start winding the wool/fabric down the stem covering the pipe cleaner. It may help to put a dot of glue at the top to hold it in place. Just keep winding until you get to the bottom.
19. Once I get to the bottom I loosely puddle the wool to cover the opening using glue to hold it in place. Look ma no holes! I have not coffee stained or dyed any of them. You could, but I like them as is.
I hope you understand my directions and it inspires you to create some of your own. If not, you can always buy mine ;-)