Fall for Fabric Pumpkins

Bring the beauty of fall into your home! Cozy fabric pumpkins can be reused year after year to decorate for autumn, and are a stunning way to embroider for the season.

Supplies & Materials:

Project Needs & Notes:

3/4 yard sturdy fabric (this tutorial uses lightweight upholstery fabric)
3/4 yard print quilter's cotton
Small pieces of craft felt or wool felt (for stem and leaves)
Medium-weight cutaway stabilizer
Polyester fiberfill
Air-erase pen
Fabric glue
1" button
Large sharp tapestry or upholstery needle and heavy duty thread for some hand sewing
Leaves or faux leaves (for tracing)

Finished Size:

Large size - 12" in diameter by 8 1/2" high (from the bottom of the pumpkin to the top of the stem)
Small size - 8 3/4" in diameter by 6 1/4" high (from the bottom of the pumpkin to the top of the stem)

To get started, print the PDF of the pattern using the link below. The large size pumpkin pattern has two pieces and will print on two pieces of paper. The small size pumpkin pattern has one piece and will print on one piece of paper.

Download Project Pattern

The designs used in this tutorial include:

Lilies of the Field Quilt Block - Lg

Gather Materials:

Cut out the pattern pieces. If you are using the large pattern, tape the two pieces together following the instructions on the pattern pieces.

Paper template labeled "Large Pumpkin Half-piece" on a wooden surface, shaped like two connected pointed ovals with printed instructions for assembly.

For the embroidered pieces, lay the pattern piece on top of the fabric, pin in place, and trace the shape using an air-erase pen.

Hand holding a pen, tracing around a paper pattern labeled "Large Pumpkin Half Piece" pinned to orange fabric, on a wooden surface.

Templates are printouts of embroidery designs, and they are excellent tools for planning where to stitch.

Open the embroidery designs in embroidery software and print them to make templates.

Center the template inside the shape.

Mark the center point and the horizontal and vertical axis lines.

Hand holding a purple fabric marker, tracing a black-centred leaf stencil onto orange fabric, which has black lines drawn in an oval shape on a wooden surface.

Start Embroidering:

Remove the template.

Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together, aligning the marks on the hoop with the marks on the fabric.

Orange fabric secured in a rectangular embroidery hoop with pumpkin shape outlines drawn on the fabric, placed on a wooden surface.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design.

Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric.

Embroider the design.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching colorful fall leaves in shades of purple, pink, and red on orange fabric held in a square hoop.

When the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the backside of the embroidery.

Black fabric laid on a wooden surface with a small white cloth square embroidered in red and gray thread showing a leaf design, next to a pair of silver scissors.

Cut out the shape.

Orange fabric shaped like a leaf features embroidered fall leaves in red, orange, and purple tones at center; silver scissors rest on wooden surface nearby.

Repeat this process for a total of 4 embroidered pieces.

Then, use the pattern piece to cut another 4 pieces out of the print quilter's cotton for a grand total of 8 pieces.

Six fabric leaves arranged on a wooden surface: three bright orange with speckled pattern, three burnt orange with detailed embroidery of colorful autumn leaves.

Assemble the pumpkin.

Lay one of the embroidered pieces flat with the right side facing up.

Align one of the print fabric pieces on top, right sides together, and pin along the right side only.

Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge only, leaving 1" open at the top (this will allow for turning later on).

Hand holding two orange fabric pieces pinned together on a wooden surface, one fabric has a leafy pattern and the other is solid orange.

Align a second embroidered piece on top of the open edge of the print fabric, right sides together, and pin in place.

Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge leaving 1" open starting at the top edge.

Repeat this process alternating the print fabric and embroidered pieces.

Close-up of a hand holding a partially folded fabric piece with black outside, orange inside, and purple embroidered leaves on orange fabric, pinned with yellow-headed pins.

Align the right sides of the first and last piece together; pin in place.

Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge once again leaving 1" open starting at the top edge.

Hand holding half-open fabric pumpkin in progress; outer fabric black, inner lining orange with small leaf pattern, yellow sewing pins on edges, wooden table background.

Turn the fabric right side out and stuff the pumpkin with polyester fiberfill through the top opening.

Using needle and thread, sew the top opening closed.

Hand holds a needle sewing the top center of a fabric pumpkin made of alternating orange patterned and solid fabric segments, on a wood surface.

Then, flip the pumpkin over, sew down through the center, and sew a button in place at the bottom of the pumpkin -- pull the thread tight to cinch in place.

Hand sewing orange fabric pumpkin with alternating plain and patterned fabric sections, a button in the center, on a wooden surface.

For the stem, cut a piece of felt to 2" x 8".

Fold the felt together lengthwise (short ends together) and pin in place.

Sew a 1/4" seam along the two long side edges only -- leave the bottom open for turning.

Hand holding two small rectangular pieces of tan fabric with a needle and thread partially sewn through the layers on a wood grain surface.

Turn the fabric right side out and fill the stem with fiberfill.

Add a few drops of fabric glue to the bottom of the stem and press it in place in the center top of the pumpkin.

Hand holding Aleene's Fabric Tac glue, applying it to the base of a fabric pumpkin stem. The pumpkin has orange sections with glittery and plain textured fabric. Wood surface background.

You can create leaves by tracing a leaf or faux leaf onto felt and then cutting out the shapes.

Hand holds purple marker aimed at red and yellow maple leaf-shaped fabric decoration on a green fabric square resting on a wooden surface.

Add fabric glue to the backside of the leaves and press them in place around the stem.

A hand holding a bottle of Aleene's Fabric Fusion glue near the stem of an orange fabric pumpkin with green felt leaves on a wood surface background. The pumpkin is made from different textured orange fabrics.

Get Inspired:

You can also use a real pumpkin stem to decorate your pumpkin!

Remove the stem from your pumpkin using a small hand saw. You can also paint the stem to coordinate with your fabric.

Add fabric glue or hot glue to the bottom of the stem and press it in place.

Black and silver fabric pumpkin with embroidered swirls on silver segments, decorated with white lace trim between segments and felt black leaves on top, on a white plate.

These stuffed embroidered pumpkins are stunning additions to any fall decorating scheme.

Pick your favorite fabrics and designs to reflect your personal style. Halloween motifs add a spooky-scary look, while goldwork designs on white fabric are an elegant variation.

Orange fabric pumpkin with a soft brown stem and green felt leaves, embroidered with purple and pink autumn leaves, resting on a white placemat on a wooden surface.