A brand new mini dress with psychedelic swirls of hot pink and lime green . . . my big sister “ratting” the crown of my new short haircut and sealing it in place with Aqua Net, the cement of hair sprays . . . a little bit of mascara (shhhh . . . don’t tell mom) . . . a touch of white frosted lipstick and I was out the door.
But OH, how I was shaking in my hot pink heels. You see, it was my first day of Junior High and I was so afraid that I wouldn’t be sophisticated enough to fit in.
All my worries were for naught . . . as most of our worries tend to be. I found a new best friend the very first day and went back to my normal mode of dress from that day forward, realizing that 7th graders aren’t very sophisticated after all.
THAT is one of the memories of Fall that sticks out in my mind. It is a good memory and a somewhat traumatic memory all at the same time! I think it taught me a thing or two about trying to fit in though. Flash forward to today . . . some (EEK!) 46 years later and remember . . . authenticity is always best.
So what about you dear readers? What memories do you have of Fall? What is the happiest memory you carry? What is your favorite thing about this time of year?
I don’t suppose you have to ask me what my favorite thing is because it is pretty obvious that I have a passion for decorating and making my home a welcoming place to be, each and every season. It is especially fun this year to be decorating a brand new (to me) home.
I promised you in my post A GRAND FALL PORCH that I would be back to share with you my absolute best method for creating gorgeous velvet pumpkins. I learned by trial and error so you don’t have to! So lets get started:
First of all, the Old Things New part. I hit the thrift stores last Fall and searched out velvet and velour fabrics in pretty “Fallish” colors. My pumpkins were made from old pillows, dresses and blouses. You can make a whole LOT of pumpkins out of one woman’s full length dress, which is fun because then you’ll have some to give away to friends. They will be delighted!
I created several sizes of pumpkins, using different sized plates as patterns. The smallest pumpkin was traced from a salad plate and the largest from a serving tray. I suppose you could have a REALLY big pumpkin if you traced it from something like a big aluminum snow sled! How fun would that be?!
Anyhoo, these are the “ingredients”: White beans, Poly-fil, a couple different varieties of moss and dried pumpkin stems . . .
NOTE: For the pumpkin stems, you can dry stems taken from your own pumpkins OR, if you want a lot of them (like I did), you can walk through local pumpkins fields just after harvest and pick up what’s left behind (I actually did that . . . with permission of course). The problem with that was I wanted to make velvet pumpkins . . . and I wanted to make them NOW! So while my collected pumpkin stems were drying I ended up buying stems from an Etsy shop.
Lastly don’t forget the E6000, the absolute best crafting glue I’ve found . . . and I think they should pay me for saying that!
Begin by hand basting around the edges of your fabric circle with some extra strength thread. Then pull the thread to gather the edges together, leaving just enough room to add the filler.
Now for my tried and true tips:
Tip number 1: Add some beans to the bottom of the pumpkin, filling it about one third of the way. This will give your pumpkin stability so it won’t tip over.
Tip number 2: Be careful not to stuff your pumpkin too much. Add polyester filler until your pumpkin is about three-quarters full, then pull your basting thread tight and tie it off. Stuffing the pumpkin too full will make the pumpkin stems will look like they are sitting on top of the velvet pumpkin, rather than growing from it.
Tip number 3: THIS tip is why I call this the BEST way to make velvet pumpkins. Attach the stems with E6000 and then scrunch the pumpkin up around the stem and rubber band it in place until it dries. Overnight is best. Remove the rubber bands and voila . . . gorgeous velvet pumpkin!
But what if you have a mess up and it doesn’t look so gorgeous . . . like if you accidentally glop glue on top of the velvet, or you stuff it a bit too much and the stem doesn’t sit down inside the velvet nicely, or if your stitching shows, or whatever . . . ?
Simply add a little moss to cover up the goofs!
And here you have it . . . a pumpkin redeemed!
I like grouping my pumpkins together, some with moss and some without.
I also like mixing them in with real pumpkins and gourds.
One of my most viewed posts was this display of pumpkins contained in my junky chicken wire cloche. To see more pics and to view the cloche tutorial you can link back HERE
Finally, another cloche filled with pumpkins. The Chevron patterned one was made from an old pillow cover and the little pumpkin on top was made from drop cloth fabric. Aren’t they darling? These pumpkins have a whole different look and were shared in a tutorial by the amazing Shannon over at AKA Design. Head on over to her place to see the “how to” and while you’re there check out the rest of her blog. It is packed with creative and inspirational goodness!
An added NOTE: Jonni at Minnie’s Milestones made some of her own velvet pumpkins after reading this post and she has come up with a few extra tips that are extremely helpful. Head on over to her blog to see her pretty pumpkins and get some additional ideas!
So what’s next? So far I’ve shown you the front porch of my new house. Next I’ll be taking you inside where I’ve added a little more Fall decor. I hope you’ll come back and join me. I’m off now to find a Starbucks so I can savor one of my other favorite things about Fall, Pumpkin Spice Lattes!
Blessings,
VMG206, TuesdaysAtOurHome,
Your velvet pumpkins are lovely.
I guess I need to go up to the attic to get my dropcloth pumpkins from last year, but I am still not ready to take summer out of the house.
Love it, Patty! Thanks for the tutorial and tips. I’d love to try making some of these myself. I am going to keep all the stems off my real pumpkins this year. And, I have to go look for dresses and things at the thrift store. Never even thought to do that to look for the velvet fabric!
They are so pretty and this is a great tutorial. I wouldn’t have thought of going to a farm to get stems off the ground!
Dawn @ We Call It Junkin
I truly enjoyed the story that went with today’s post! I love stories! I adore your velvet pumpkins and I think the tip for shopping the thrift stores for velvety things is BRILLIANT! Oh and the tip for walking freshly harvested pumpkin fields! You don’t happen to remember the Etsy store that you purchased the pumpkin stems from do you? I have several projects including this one that I want to use the really ones for!
I can’t wait to see more of your fall decor! I think I may stop by the thrift store tomorrow for some velvet!
Patty, these velvet pumpkins are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing them and your great tips with Share It One More Time. Cathy
Patty, my Mother made similar pumpkins years ago and unfortunately at the time I didn’t appreciate them. YOUTH! Luckily I have one that she made and adore it now. Thank you for the great tips and tutorial, I think I will be making these for my daughter and daughter-in-laws.
I love them Patti and the tips are fabulous! I will be saving my pumpkin stems and looking for velvet for next year. Thanks for sharing them with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
What a great tutorial, I have always wanted to try making these velvet pumpkins, they look beautiful with your decor! 🙂 I would like to invite you to share your fall themed posts at my 2014 Harvest Hop linky party. http://www.aprilshomemaking.com/2014/10/2014-harvest-hop-link-up.html
These are beautiful!
I will feature these tomorrow at HSH!
Patti, these are just absolutely beautiful. Yours are by far the prettiest homemade pumpkins I’ve seen! Thank you for sharing your methods for making them. And thank you for linking this to Grace at Home–I’m featuring you this week!
I love these! They are so pretty! What a great idea to look for velvet dresses at thrift shops too. Smart idea! Oh, and I agree…E6000 is the best glue!!
What gorgeous little pumpkins, Patti! I have seen some similar, but yours are the prettiest I’ve seen! I have toyed with the idea of making some since last year but after reading your post, I am bound to do so. I never even thought about going to Goodwill and finding velvet and/or other fabrics…like a pillow for instance! Thanks so much for this great tutorial and great inspiration!
Beautiful! Thanks for the helpful tutorial.
Thank you for sharing your post this week at Brag About It Link Party on VMG206. I’m featuring you at Next Weeks Brag About It Link Party, Monday at midnight!
~ Megin of VMG206
I suddenly have a passion for velvet pumpkins! I was going to just buy them from an Etsy seller but I can sew….just not sure I would get it right. Thank you for this! Your tips are great! Pinned!
What a super cute idea! I too love to fill cloches with seasonal things. I have a formal living and dining room where these velvet pumpkins will really make a statement. I cut apart clothing that I no longer wear and save the fabric for projects or for clothing for a small child. I have a stunning hostess gown circa 1985 in the most gorgeous shade of teal velvet that I have taken apart and saved. This will be a great use for some of the fabric. Whenever I have a classic piece of clothing that I no longer want or can fit into, I save the fabric. Seersuckers, velvets, silks and satins all come in handy for projects etc. After all, we spend a lot of money for our clothing and we might as well recycle it. I have a box full of gorgeous silk ties of my husbands, and one of these days I will think of something so they do not go to waste! Thanks for all the good tips and your great blog. I enjoy following you on your journeys. Blessings
This is terrific! I featured it on my link party features Pinterest board, thanks for sharing at History & Home – Dawn @ We Call It Junkin
Thank you for sharing this wonderful tutorial! I invite you to share at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop this week. Hugs!
Lovely, velvet pumpkins- italian renaissance,
This is, without a doubt, the best tutorial on making these velvet pumpkins with tips on making them look just right. Thank you so much for sharing.
I am in love with your pumpkins Patti! I just made a drop cloth pumpkin that I’ll be sharing soon, but yours are so soft and pretty. Thank you for sharing at What We Accomplished Wednesdays. Have a lovely week! ~Deborah
Patti, I wanted to let you know I referenced you and your blog in a post I did today on your awesome velour pumpkin tutorial. Hope it was okay and you like it.
Minnie’s Milestones
http://www.shellknoblakegirl.com/milestones/velour-pumpkins
Patti, these are beautiful. I shelled out too much money to buy some and I’m thrilled to see that I can to my collection next year by making my own. Thanks for sharing.
Lynn