DIY Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial

 

Here it is as promised!  The DIY Fabric Pumpkins Tutorial!

 

 

I came across this project that was done by StoneGable . 

It was for these really cute Sweater Pumpkins. 
I love them!!

 

The problem I was faced with was the lack of sweaters.  Well, ones to cut up.  (Trust me there is no lacking in the sweater department of my closet.)  I LOVE sweater weather.  

After seeing this post, I decided to head to the thrift store to find some.  Since I am a super cheap-o, I couldn't justify spending the money for a sweater I was going to cut into pieces.  So it was time to get creative. 
 

I searched though all my fabric, and was lucky to find some leftovers from last Halloween.  Why not just use it? 

(this ended up being a FREE project for me, I already had everything I needed.)

 
 

 Let's get started.....

 

First gather what you need: 

• Fabric
• Twine
• Rubber bands
• Poly-fil
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Ruler

  



Time to cut the fabric.  
(I had to guess on the amount since I really didn't know how they would turn out.) 
 

I cut mine between 6-8 inches wide X 12-14 inches long, depending on the pumpkin.  This size will make small pumpkins.  If you want to make a large one, just adjust the measurements. 
(the width of the fabric will be the width of the pumpkin.) 
When it is folded over it makes a rectangle.  

Then, with the wrong sides together,

make a quick straight stitch with the sewing machine.

You will notice the size on this is bigger than what I said.

I forgot to take a picture, this happens often. 

 (I had to make one quick to be able to show you this step.)   

Here it is close up. 

I used Red thread so you could see it better, you can use any color because it won't show.

 

For those of you that hate to sew, NO MORE SEWING.  I promise.

 

Now, cut 6 pieces of twine, long enough to stick out both sides of the fabric.  Gather up the fabric around the twine and use a rubber band to hold it together.

 

Large rubber bands work best.  Wrap it as many times as you can, so it will be nice and tight.

 

 Time to turn it inside out, or right side out.

Next, stuff it with poly-fil.

(I found after many attempts, it worked best if it was stuffed to the max.)
Gather up the fabric like you did with the bottom.  
Evenly space the twine over the pumpkin.

Again secure it with a big rubber band. 

  

Go around, pulling on each piece of twine tight.  It may take a few times of pulling each piece to even them out. 
The tighter you pull the deeper the creases will be.

(It may become a little lopsided if you don't pull all the twine.  This is easy to fix.  Just pull the pieces on the opposite side and it will even it out.)

 

Now that you have the look you want...

  The final step is making the stem.

 

Figure out how long you want your stem to be.

(I made mine about an inch, inch and a half)

 

For an 1 1/2" stem, cut the excess fabric, leaving about 1 1/4".

 

Cut a long piece of twine to wrap around the stem.

(I tried to use the twine already on the pumpkin but I found it would mess up the creases.)

 

Starting at the base of the stem secure the twine to the pumpkin. 
I tucked the twine into the rubber band but you could also hot glue it on.
Time to start wrapping. 

Using the hot glue gun.....Put a small dot of glue every few times around to hold it in place. 

Make sure you wrap evenly, we don't want any large gaps.

 

Keep wrapping all the way to the top. 

 

Continue to coil the twine over the top, so the fabric is fully covered.

Making sure to secure it with the hot glue.

When you are finished, cut off the excess twine.

 Glue down the end where you made the final cut. 

(I found that if I didn't do this step the twine would start to fray.)

Now you have a finished Fabric Pumpkin.

 

It is really a quick and easy project once you get the hang of it.

 

 

I made a few more to add to my Easy Decorated Halloween Table.

Click on over and check it out.

Happy Pumpkin Day!!!

 

 

 

Please comment below if you have any questions or anything to add. 

 

Thanks for stopping by the blog. Take a look around at my other posts and check back often. I have many new things to share.

 



Easy Decorated Halloween "Mantel"

Hello Again! 

I know it has been a while since I have posted on the blog.  Life has been crazy, hectic but I finally feel like things are slowing down.  I am excited because I can finally get back to sharing all my fun projects with you.  So here we go.......

 

 

My Halloween Table

 

Sadly, I don't have a mantel on my fireplace to decorate.  So instead, I decorate the area at the top of the stairs in our living room. 
I have the whole wall to decorate.  A nice blank slate to work with. 

 

I had planned to decorate last year but never found the time.  This year I was determined to get it done.  Here is the finished product. 

 

(I love it, don't you?)

 

Here is the breakdown of what I did......

 

Only a few of the items were purchased and untouched. 

 

The first was the clock.

 

I purchased this clock last year at Ross, on clearance, for $6. 

It was a perfect fit for Halloween.  The clock does work, but I left the battery out and put it on Midnight.  Since that is when the ghosts and goblins come out. 

 

Also, this sign.

Normally I would make my own, but I couldn't resist this one. 

It was 75% off after Halloween last year, which made it only $2. 

You know me, I can't pass up a deal like that.
 

 

Here are the items that I either refreshed or are homemade.

 

#1... was the Witches Hat.  This cute little hat my Mom found at the Goodwill. 

It was old and needed some love.

 

Here is what it looked like before:

 

 

I removed the flower buds and ribbon.

Gave it a fresh coat of paint and added a new bow. 

I had to keep "The Witch is in!" tag.  It was too cute not to.
 

Here is what she looks like now....

 

Quick and easy project.

 

#2.... My Framed E-E-K letters.

This was another quick and easy project. 

 

I found a font that I liked.  (I am a free font junkie!) 

The font I picked for this one is called Belshaw.  You can download it for free here!

Then all I did was cut out 3 pieces of fabric to fit the frames.  Traced the letters onto the fabric.  

I then used a Sharpie Paint Pen to color in the letters.

 

(you can find them at any craft store)

  Placed them in the frames and DONE!!!

 

#3.... The once Silver Serving Platter
 

Here is a quick breakdown of the platters transformation.

 

               

I bought this platter at the Goodwill for $2.       Painted it with black chalkboard paint.

Found the numbers that I wanted.          Traced them onto the platter.

    

 

Painted the numbers with some white craft paint and......

 

DONE!!!

 

 

#4..... The Witches Books

 

I had seen some books for sale online (here) and thought.... I can do that.  So I did!

I went to the thrift store and bought some old books. 
 I painted them with some black chalk paint, found a font I liked, and traced it on to the bindings of the books. 

Then carefully painted the letters with some off-white craft paint and......

 

(Oh, and added a little bottle of Witches Potion I purchased at Joann's.)

I think they are the perfect addition to my table.

 

#5  A few hand painted signs.....

 

          

I love to make signs out of old salvaged wood and have come up with an easy way to do them.

(tutorial coming soon)

 

#6  My Favorite Project of them all....

The Fabric Pumpkins

 

 

   

I love the way they turned out.  It was so simple and easy. 

For the tutorial on how to make these little pumpkins, click here !!

 

 

#7   To finish it off....

 I added this little bat table runner and a couple black crows that I picked up at the dollar store.

 

 

 

I couldn't be happier with the end result. 

 

 

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Have a safe and fun Holiday!!! Trick or Treat! 

 

How do you decorate for Halloween?  Do you go cutesy or scary and spooky? 

 

 





Boy's Bedroom Makeover for Under $100

 

 

I know it has been a while since I have posted.  Things have been crazy busy in our household lately.  We have a lot going on as this school year is coming to an end. 

 

I wanted to share with you a long overdue post of my sons room.  I worked on it over Spring Break while he was away at his dad's.  (Yes, that is how overdue this post is.)

 

Here is the Before: 

(This is clean.  Well, his idea of clean.  If you have any boys you will understand that their idea of clean is not the same as Mom's.)

 

As you can see there was really was no rhyme or reason to this room. 

The walls were covered in posters and things that he hung up himself.

 

Now that he is 14, the bunk bed just wasn't working any longer.  He has gotten so tall that when he would sit up in the morning he would hit his head on the top bunk.

 

It was time for it all to go!

 

So I emptied out the room.

Ahhh!!! A blank canvas!

 

Now time for paint.

 

My question, why isn't gray just gray anymore?  or black, black? or white, white?

 

After painting the room the room the first time, what was supposed to be gray, turned out to be baby blue.  So back to Sherwin Williams I went.  And finally found the right color.

 

When looking for a new bed, I had a hard time finding anything that looked like it belonged in a boy's room.  I wanted something sturdy that would last.  (Seems like these days everything is made from particle board.)

 

It was time to get creative.

 

I found this 4 post bed at the thrift store for $20.00.

(not for a boy, until you do what I did)

 

I cut off the posts! 

 

Sanded it down!

 

And added some Black Paint!

 

On to the table.  He needed a table for his new TV that he got for Christmas.  It was still in the box, since there was nowhere to put it.

 

Another Thrift Store find....

It needed a face lift too.

Literally!

I pulled this plastic piece off the drawer front.

 

Then sanded!

Painted it Black!

 

Here is what it looks like now.

What a difference a little black paint can make.

 

 

The last BIG project I did in here was the comforter.  It is very hard to find a comforter or duvet cover these days for "grown-up" boys.  Everything is so girly.

I had an image of what I wanted in my mind and I think that made it more difficult in my search.

Since I was unable to find what I was looking for, I made my own.

 

How?

With Sheets!  Yes, a duvet cover made from sheets.

I found 3 flat sheets in the colors I wanted, lime green and black.  (His favorite color is lime green) 

I used one of the black sheets as the back.  Then the other two, one lime green and one black, I cut into different sized strips.  Sewed the strips together. 

After this I sewed the now striped sheet together with the solid black. 

Like a giant pillow case.

(Sorry there are no pictures of this process.  I was under the wire and had to do it quickly.  I sewed it all together the morning he was coming home.)

 

Filled it with his old comforter and voila...  a new duvet!

I was so happy with how it turned out. 

 

I added a little black side table to serve as a night stand.

A little lamp, I spray painted green.

A fun chair.

And a little black hamper.

 

 

The last thing was a little art on the wall.

Well, this kid loves his video games. 

(His prize possession is his XBox 360.  He had to wait 4 years before Mom finally got him one for Christmas.)

 

So what would be more fitting than XBox picture art.



I just went on to google, found a few photos, printed them and added them to these black picture frames. 

 

Room Complete!!!

He loved it!  And still does!

I was so happy with how it all turned out!

 

 

Oh yeah.......One last thing.....

 

When you are in a huge hurry to try to finish, don't forget an important step.

Remember to put the Slats under the Mattress.  Oops!!

We laughed about this one till we cried!

 

 

 

 

Cost Breakdown:

 

Paint: $40.00 (since I had to do it twice)

Bed: $20.00

TV Table: $7.50

Bedding: $20.00

Chair: $5.00

Hamper: Free

End Table and Lamp: Free

Pictures: Free

Bed without slats: Priceless

 

Total Cost:  $92.50  (UNDER $100.00) 

 

It can be done.  Get Creative.

 

 

 

 

Come and Sit a Spell, The Final Reveal

The Final Reveal......

Here is a look at our new sitting area that once was a formal dining space. 

It all started with the chairs we found on craigslist.  I reupholstered them in a pretty blue. 

Here is the link to the post for: Reupholstering Sofa Chairs-Part 2

 

 

Now that I had two comfy chairs, I had to add a little table.  I picked this one up at the thrift store on half price day for $4.50, and went to work on it. 

I sanded her down, stained the table tops and then painted the sides and legs.  I used my favorite Dark Walnut from Minwax to stain it.  I wanted to keep things cohesive in the space.  (this was the same stain I used on the desk, crates and chair legs.)  I wanted to keep the paint color neutral, so I used Sherwin Williams - Crisp Linen.  (this was paint I had left over from another project.) 

 



Here is the finished look of my little side table.

You can't sit and read without some lighting.  So I was on the hunt for a little lamp.  I came across this lamp and shade. 

 

 

Of course, they don't go with anything in my space so they got a little makeover.  The lamp was simple.  A little spray paint is all you need.  The lamp shade on the other hand was a bit more tricky. 

 

I found some fabric that matched the Sawhorse and Bulletin board color and it was only $1.50/yard.  Lucky for me!  I didn't even the whole yard of fabric.  So here is what I did....

• I pulled off all the red fabric but left on all the plastic (I was able to salvage it)
• then I wrapped it in the new fabric (used a quick dry craft glue every few inches to secure it)
• when I got to the end, I just folded over the fabric to make a seam
• trimmed up the top and bottom, folded it over and glued it down  (the clothes pins worked great holding it until the glue dried
• I made a little trim by folding a strip of material in half and folding in the edges  (Best part was no sewing)
• I then attached it to the top and bottom edges for a finished look



Here is what it looks like now.

 

 

Lighting complete.  Or is it?



 

Then it was time to add something to the large, bare wall.  I already had a plan for this.  Last summer we had picked up an old window from Rebuilding Center here in town.  (If you have a project to finish around your house, you should really check this place out.  They have so much and the prices are great.)

Of course, like everything else, this window needed a face lift.  It was layered with many coats of paint. 

 

It had a layer of light pink, dark pink, white, green, ivory, another pink and then white again.  As I started to prep the window for paint, I realized that I couldn't just sand it and add another layer.  The paint started to chip off.  So instead of using a paint stripper like I should have, I chipped it all off.  Scraping a little at a time.  (don't ask me why, I never seem to do things the easy way.) 

Anyway, I finally got down to the bottom layer of paint, sanded, taped it off and then..... almost Paint! 

 

I had some paint that I picked up a while back for a project in the kitchen (that is still not done, that's a post for another day).  I opened the can, the paint was PURPLE.  After a small panic, I decided to just tint the paint myself.  I put some of the Purple paint in a tin can and then added some True Navy Apple Barrel craft paint until the color was just right.  Now Paint!  It was perfect.

 

Here is the area finished! 

I think.... okay maybe not.

 

I am thinking about adding a shelf under the window.  What do you think?  

Also, I have some pillows that I want to add to the chairs but.... they are still in my head.  (I come up with great ideas at the strangest times.  But finding the time to finish them..... I'm working on it.)

 



You may be wondering why the lamp is different in this picture than above.  Well when we went to hang the window, the brass lamp was to tall.  So I went and found a shorter, cute little lamp to replace it.

 

We love this space!  I sit here every morning and enjoy my cup of coffee (in between getting kids out the door for school.)