How To Make Plush Velvet Pumpkins & Acorns On A Budget

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Fall has officially arrived and it's time to spruce up your home with soft touches of autumn! Today I'm going to show you how to create seasonal plush pumpkins and acorns to add color, texture, and charm to your living space. Just imagine a festive centerpiece of plush pumpkins, acorns, and hand-picked pinecones welcoming fall into your home! And best of all, these velvety accents are super easy to make and budget-friendly, too! 

COST-SAVING TIPS:

I wanted to share a few cost-saving tips to keep the cost of this DIY project to a minimum. 

Pumpkin Stems. As you have probably noticed, I use tree branches as stems, rather than the adorable, but costly, pumpkin stems. A set of ten pumpkin stems will cost you approximately $20 on Etsy and e-Bay. I think the branch stems look fine for simple home decor, however, if you are making the pumpkins as gifts, it may be worth it to use pumpkin stems. Call your local produce farms who sell pumpkins or check with friends who have a garden. Who knows? You may get lucky.

Stretch Velvet. Panne stretch velvet is sold by the yard on sites like Amazon, Etsy, e-Bay, and Walmart. Online Fabric Store offers a variety of colorful velvet starting at $4.25/yard and reasonable shipping. Remember to read reviews to ensure you are ordering a good quality velvet and that the color in the description is accurate. 

Single drapery panels can sometimes be less expensive than purchasing fabric by the yard. Check clearance aisles at your local home stores.

UPDATE: Since the publication of this post, Style, Decor & More has evolved into an eco-friendly and cruelty-free blog. To make this project more environmentally friendly, consider using burlap or another natural and sustainable fabric. There are some adorable burlap fabrics out there like this festive chevron print fabric.  

 

Fiberfill. Yikes! Fiberfill is expensive and I'm not sure why? When possible, shop for deals and always check for coupons. Reuse fiberfill from old throw pillows when possible. I used fiberfill from old, worn pillows that had seen better days. Surprisingly, the pillows' interior fill was clean, white, and fluffy.

Repurpose fabric. Do you have any old tops or dresses made of velvet? Repurpose the velvet clothing and you won't need to purchase the fabric.

Now that you've hopefully found some ways to save, let's get started:

PLUSH PUMPKINS

Supplies:
Panne Velvet Fabric or an Eco-Friendly Fabric

Fiberfill

Pumpkin Stem

Bowl

Marker or Pen

Scissors

Beans or Rice

Sewing Needle

Sewing Thread (Heavy-duty thread works best)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut your fabric.

Using your scissors, cut a circle using the velvet fabric. I used a 10" diameter bowl as my guide and turned it upside down to trace a circle. The circle can also be cut freehand as edges do not have to be perfectly straight.

2. Baste the edges.

Thread a needle with heavy-duty thread and tie a knot at the end of the thread. The thread should be about 20" long if you are using a 20" diameter bowl. Baste around the edges as shown in image #1 below, cinching/pulling the thread lightly as you baste around the circle. See image #2 below. NOTE: DO NOT cut the thread when you have reached the end.

Note: The closer your basting stitches, the more lines and puckering you will have on your pumpkin. 
  

   

3. Fill the pumpkin.

Place approximately 1 cup of beans, rice, or pellets inside the pumpkin to give it a bean bag-weighted base as shown in image #2.  

3. Stuff the pumpkin.

Use fiberfill to stuff the pumpkin until it is firm and full. 

4. Create a dimple. 

Use the needle and thread and place it through the center of the pumpkin and pull it through to the underside. Take the needle back up through the center and pull tightly creating a dimple on the underside of the pumpkin. (Image #4).

5. Stitch hole closed.

Pull the needle and thread tightly to keep the dimple defined and use criss-cross stitching across the top of the hole until it is closed. (Image #5)

6. Glue the stem.

Use a hot glue gun or E6000 craft glue to secure the stem. Hold it in place for about one minute lightly pressing down into the pumpkin.

Voila! You are finished creating your first velvet pumpkin! 

The acorns are made almost the same way as the pumpkins, except you do not need to add beans or make a dimple. 

PLUSH ACORNS

SUPPLIES:

Panne Velvet Fabric or an Eco-Friendly Fabric
Sewing Needle
Sewing Thread
Fiber Fill or Cotton Balls
Scissors
Large Acorn Caps

1. Cut your fabric. 

Cut a two-inch circle from the velvet fabric. Place fiberfill in the center and place your thumb over the fiberfill. 

2. Baste the edges.

Holding the fiberfill in place with your left thumb, baste the outer edges of the circle, pulling and cinching fabric as you make your way around the circle.  It is important to have the fiberfill inside as it will be harder to fill once the basting is finished. Make adjustments to the fiberfill, if needed. If it is too full, remove some of the fiberfill and if it is not full enough, add some fiberfill.  

3. Stitch hole closed.  

Pull the needle and thread tightly to close the hole and use criss-cross stitching across the top of the hole until it is closed.

4. Glue Acorn Cap. Glue an acorn cap over the top of the hole. 

Easy peasy, right? Once you get the hang of it, you will be able to create several pumpkins and acorns to cheerfully display on your mantel, in centerpieces, or entryways to welcome fall into your home.

Happy fall! 

 xoxo,