We are now officially in October, the pumpkin season! Today I will show you how you can make your own cute DIY fall/Autumn decor with these beautiful DIY pumpkins.

So, autumn is officially upon us. We are getting cosy with our self-care by having a go at making autumn-inspired bath bombs, and now it is time to add that cosy feeling with our decor. What better way to add to your decor than with some fitting DIY pumpkins.

There are so many different forms of fall decor, but pumpkins are still a popular feature. Did you know that pumpkins were originally used and carved, placing at the front door to ward off evil spirits? Now they are more often used as a piece of decor and fun activity with kids.
So, in keeping with the pumpkin autumn/Halloween theme, I thought I would have a go at making a few pumpkins using clay and fabric. In this post, I will show you how to make clay pumpkins, a clay pumpkin tealight holder and some beautiful fabric pumpkins.

If it sounds like something you would like to make, then let’s get crafting!

Jump to the end of this post for the video version!

DIY Pumpkins – Clay Pumpkins

Now, I have dabbled with air dry clay before on Aimsy’s Antics, making these lovely clay coasters. So, I thought I would use up my stash by making some other lovely things with the clay…DIY Pumpkins! These are really easy to make and you only need a few items to make them. Simple but effective!

What you need:

To make the DIY clay pumpkins, you are going to need the following items:

• Air-dry clay
• Cocktail stick (or something with a point)
• Acrylic Paint
• Paintbrush
• Water

Step 1 – Form the pumpkin

First, make sure that you have placed down a protective mat to your table/work surface. Clay can get a bit messy, so it is good to protect your surface from any damage and/or mess.

Start by taking a piece of the clay from the block. You can vary the size of this, depending on how big or small you want your DIY pumpkins to be.
Then, manipulate this with your hands so that it becomes pliable and workable.
Once the clay is easier to squish, it is time to roll it into a ball shape. You can either do this in hand, by rolling it between your two hands or roll it on the work surface to form the ball.

Use a cocktail stick, or something with a point on the end and begin carving thin lines down the ball shape. This will give it the distinctive pumpkin section pattern. Do this as evenly as possible all around the pumpkin, from top to bottom.

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Then take a very small piece of clay and make it into a small sausage shape. This will act as the pumpkin stalk. You want to curve this slightly to resemble the stalks you see on the pumpkins. Place this into the middle top part of the ball of clay. You can use a tiny bit of water to help smooth and stick the two pieces of clay together. You can also use a tiny bit of water to help smooth out any lumps and bumps in the clay.

When happy, place somewhere warm and dry and allow to dry out. This can take a few days to fully dry out and harden. Turn the pumpkin throughout this time to aid in the drying process.

Step 2 – Paint the clay pumpkin

Once the clay has dried and hardened, it is time to get creative. Using fine-grit sandpaper to smooth off the newly formed pumpkin first before painting. Make sure you wear a mask, as the dust emitted from this is very fine and may irritate your lungs.

Then, use acrylic paint to paint the pumpkin in whatever colour you like. I wanted to match my decor, so mixed up rich blue and teal colours for the main part of the pumpkin, leaving out the stalk.

I found that my pumpkin required a few coats of the paint for an even finish, allowing drying time between the two coats. For a shimmery/glossy look to the pumpkin, you can mix regular acrylic paint with metallic acrylic paint. I love the effect this gave to the pumpkins.

Finish off by painting the stalk in a different colour. I opted to go for a gold colour on mine, and I think it contrasts really well with the rich hues of the blue and teal.

Allow to dry and then your first DIY pumpkins are ready to be displayed!

DIY Pumpkins – Clay Pumpkin Tealight Holder

Now, I am calling this a tealight holder, as that is what I plan to do with mine. There is nothing better than a candle to create a cosy ambience is there? However, this could definitely be used as a small trinket bowl too.
I also decided to try out the very popular painting trend at the moment…baking powder paint or DIY chalk paint. This gives the outside of the holder a really nice textured look and feel. I have been dying to try this out, and this was the project for it.

What you need:

To make the DIY clay pumpkin tealight holder, you are going to need the following items:

• Air-dry Clay
• Jar
• Cling film
• Rolling pin
• Water
• Cocktail stick (or something with a point)
• Acrylic paint
• Baking soda/Baking powder/Bicarbonate of soda
• Paintbrushes

Step 1 – Form the holder

Again, place down a protective mat to save your worktop from the clay. trust me, it makes cleaning up so much easier after you have finished.

Select a large amount of clay. Warm and squish it in your hands until it is easier to work with, and roll out with a rolling pin. You want to try and keep the thickness the same throughout.

Use a large jar, turn it upside down (lid down) and place over cling film. This took me a bit of trial and error to figure out. The cling film helps to release the clay from the jar when it is dry.
Then place the rolled out clay over the end of the jar and smooth upwards. This should form a bowl type shape. You may find that the clay begins to overlap a little, but this is fine as it adds to the shape. Use a little bit of water to smooth out any areas that require it. This part can be quite fiddly to get how you want so, keep going until you achieve it.

Then, use a cocktail stick to score lines down from the bottom of the holder to the top. This will create the pumpkin sections.

Allow to harden and dry over the jar for a few days. When the outside looks to be dry, remove from the jar to expose the inside and allow that to dry and harden. Make sure you place it somewhere warm and dry to help with the process. I often place on my windowsill for this.

Step 2 – Paint the Pumpkin tealight holder

Now is for the fun part of decorating the tealight holder. For the outside, I wanted to use the popular baking powder method. Choose a colour of paint to your liking and place it on a mixing container. I used an old saucer, but you could use a cup too. Place the paint on the saucer and add a small amount of baking powder to it. mix thoroughly and add more if you want more texture. You will see the paint begin to thicken and look slightly grainy. This is the texture you want. Then paint the outside of the hold with this paint.

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You can use this paint on the inside of the tealight holder too, however, I wanted a contrasting colour. I opted to use straight acrylic, mixing a metallic gold colour with a small amount of black to get a brassy type of gold. I think the contrast is stunning, although I would have preferred more of a mauve colour to the outside. You win some, you lose some.

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Allow drying, applying another coat of the paint if it looks patchy and the clay tealight holder is ready to go!

DIY Pumpkins – Fabric Pumpkins

Moving away from the clay with this one, to add a different type of texture and warmth to your DIY pumpkins decor. That’s right, fabric pumpkins. My Pinterest feed has been showering me with lots of fabric pumpkin inspiration, so I needed to have a go. I also think these are my favourites out of the three projects.
This is perfect for using up any scrap pieces of material and can be made in various sizes to suit. Such an easy project with fantastic results too…you will be wanting to make loads for around the house!

What you need:

To make the fabric pumpkins, you are going to need the following items:

• Fabric
• Toy stuffing or pom-pom off-cuts
• Plates (or something circular)
• Fabric marker
• Fabric scissors (I used pinking shears)
• Large hand sewing needle.
• Thread
• Twigs / Sticks / dried flowers

Step 1 – Mark and cut fabric

Firstly you want to mark out a circle onto the chosen fabric. The easiest way to do this is to place a plate onto the fabric and mark around it. Vary the size of the plate to get different size fabric pumpkins.

Step 2 – Gather fabric

Once you have your circle of material, it is time to gather the material into a pumpkin shape. Use a large needle and double over the thread. The thicker the thread the better, but if you only have regular thread then this can be doubled. Place the thread through the needle, then bring the two ends together and secure in a double or triple knot at the end. This will give the thread a double thickness.

Then you want to create a running stitch around the top of the circle of fabric. Basically, you create a stitch in the fabric, leave a gap and create another stitch. This stitch was used in my embroidery wall art. You will find that the fabric will begin to curve up and in as you go around with the running stitch. Keep going until you are back at the start.

Then pull on the thread that is still in the needle. This will gather the material into a ball shape. Don’t completely gather it, as the fabric pumpkin needs to be stuffed. You can use toy stuffing for this, or even the insides of an old pillow. I also like to keep a bag of my pom-pom off-cuts for projects like this, as they make excellent stuffing material.

Once there is enough stuffing in, pull the thread to close the pumpkin up. Keep the needle and thread attached at this point.

Step 3 – Add Stalk

Now, I have seen dried pumpkin stalks used on this, however, I didn’t have these to hand. So, I thought I would head to the garden and grab a few twigs/branches to use instead. I also used a dried branch with leaves too.
Cut the branch/twig to size and place it into the middle of that newly gathered top to the pumpkin.

Then, pull the attached thread tight, to close the fabric around the twig. You can either, loop the thread around, tying it in knots to secure in place. Or, you can create a few stitches from side to side to hold the fabric in place. I used a mixture of the two methods. When happy they are secure, knot the end of the thread and cut.

Then the DIY Fabric pumpkins and the final DIY pumpkins are ready to be displayed.

What do you think of these DIY pumpkins? Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

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DIY Pumpkins – Video

Check out the video version to this post below. Don’t forget to give the video a thumbs up, if you enjoyed and subscribe to my channel for more creative and crafty goodness!

DIY Pumpkins – Pin it!

If you enjoyed the post, why not share the love and pin it for later? Check out my Pinterest too!

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