Drop Cloth Pumpkins

I absolutely LOVE Instagram. If I am being honest, this kind of took me by surprise (I didn’t think I would like it as much as I do!). But if I am also being honest, Instagram can get a bit discouraging at times for us home/decor/DIY gals on a tight budget!

You look at all of the beautiful (and I mean BEAUTIFUL) pictures, feeds, and accounts on IG and it can easily get you a bit overwhelmed when you look around your own home…if you LET it.

Fall Decor Using What You Have

I know that I am not the only one that does not have a whole separate budget for holiday and seasonal decor. A lot of us have to get creative and figure out how to use what we have in new ways, or DIY things with what we have. And you know what? I am totally up for that challenge! That’s how these adorable drop cloth pumpkins came about!

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Drop Cloth Ideas Please

Drop cloth is SUCH a useful home decor item. Not convinced? Pillow covers, curtains, slipcovers…. Just put in “drop cloth” in the search bar in Pinterest and a plethora of ideas will pop up!

Several things work in it’s favor: it’s inexpensive, it’s easy to find (Lowe’s, Home Depot, Walmart, Amazon), and it’s a neutral color (which means it goes with most decor!). Am I convincing you to give it a try yet?

For these stuffed pumpkins you will need:

drop cloth (or fabric of your choice)
scissors
twine
batting/fiber fill
sturdy thread ( I used embroidery thread.)

How to Make Drop Cloth Pumpkins

Cut a rectangle of fabric out and fold in half.
Sew down the one side of your fabric. Knot thread to secure.
Now you will work on stitching together what will be the bottom of the pumpkin. Don’t worry if you don’t sew much. I will try and explain what I did. (There is no exact science to this, so as long as your pumpkin is held together at the end, you are a seamstress master in my book my friend!)
Make a stitch to join 2 (opposite) sides.
Make a stitch to join the 2 other opposite sides. Keep make stitches on opposite sides to gather the fabric together.
I made a couple stitches through all of the gathered fabric and then wrapped my thread around a couple times to make it good and tight. Knot thread to secure.
Now flip the fabric inside out-the bottom of your pumpkin is done!
Stuff the inside with batting/fiber fill (you will want to really stuff it full).
Now you will need to stitch the top closed. Knot thread to secure. (I did this the same way I stitched the bottom. There is no “right way.”)
Take your twine and start wrapping it firmly around your pumpkin. Pull tight so you get the noticeable segments. Again, there is no “right way.”
Now all your little pumpkin needs is a stem! (This is a great job to give the kiddos and get your yard cleaned in the process! Win!) Once I had my little twig I twisted and shoved it into the center of my pumpkin.
Done! (But surely it needs a few friends?! No pumpkin feels complete in a patch all by itself!)

Other DIY Pumpkins I’ve Made

I have made other pumpkins using this same technique with other, printed, fabrics and the results were super cute! I will update the post when they make their way down from the attic. [wink]

UPDATE: I braved the 3rd Floor of DOOM (aka “The Attic”) and got down more of our fall decor. Here are some pumpkins I made last year. (They were completely free because I just used materials I already had. Happy dance!)

You can use the same technique from above with adorable fabric for a fun look. (When I made these, my daughter told me I had to make 4 so there was one representing all the members of our family. That makes me the polka dot pumpkin on the right-ha!)

I will let you in on a little secret: these pumpkins below used to be faux apples! My mom was getting rid of them, so I used a fork to press the lines into them, painted them, added a thicker stem using wire and twine, and now they are little pumpkins! The moral of this picture is: when life gives you faux apples, make pumpkins! (At least when you are wanting some free fall decor.)