Fall Decorating & Crafting - Felt Pumpkins

I am in the mood for Fall. Halloween is on my mind and the turning of the leave and ripening of pumpkins on the brain. One of my favorite activities on chillier nights is to craft. This year's project has been felting and so far I love it! I can make one of these pumpkins during an hour long episode of TV and I have plans to fill my apothecary jars in the entryway and make a center piece on the table using these easy felt pumpkins.

I love the texture of wool already from knitting and a failed attempt at spinning and the drop needle, (...and by failed I mean I will probably take it up again in a few years) so this was a big stretch. I already had some wool laying around.

After a few late nights on Etsy I saw some kits for creating your own felt pumpkins. They came with needles, a mat and some wool to get started. These are serious needles, by the way. With little barbs at the end, as you stab the felt it pulls some fibers into the center of the bundle causing it to start felting.

So armed with the tools, I started out. Now, you can use either all orange wool, or use a natural color and cover it with less of the orange dyed wool. Well, unless you have ever met an orange sheep. I would love their number, please.

I wrapped the natural wool in a ball and started stabbing. I can't tell you how good this feels for releasing stress.

Here is my finished ball. This only took 10 minutes of stabbing. I turned it as I went and the ball begins to take shape. I stabbed the top and bottom more to give it a flatter top and bottom. Since pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, you really can't go wrong with this craft.

Then I covered my ball with a little orange wool. Keeping poking the needle in and out to secure it in place. Use little bit of excess wool to cover any thin or bare spots. I don't mind a little brown showing through, but that is my personal preference. I think it looks more natural.

After a while the pumpkin gets harder and harder to push the needle into. Then I added the lines. Just keep stabbing the same line over and over till you get the desired indentation.

Then with just a little bit of brown I created a long stem. Stab, fold and shape as desired.

I trimmed mine to the desired length and then attached it to my pumpkin. Stab and pull the fibers on the end to attack where you want. I tried to pull mine to cover the entire center.

There you have it! My little felted pumpkin. I plan on also adding a few white and green pumpkins to my collection as well.

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