Ticking Fabric Pumpkins with Cabinet Knob Stems

Do you save old clothing, sweaters, linens, draperies, and the like for the fabric? I save everything, including an old slipcover that I used to make the cutest red ticking fabric pumpkins with kitchen cabinet knob pumpkin stems. They made the cutest farmhouse style pumpkins for fall.

Ticking Fabric Pumpkins with Cabinet Knob Stems

I'm going to show you how to make fabric pumpkins using items found around the house in the step-by-step tutorial below.

The options are endless for what fabric you use and if you don't have old furniture or cabinet knobs available for the stems, use tree branches from the back yard.

While my red ticking stripe pumpkins have farmhouse charm, you could make regal ones with crushed velvet and pretty glass or beaded knob stems.

Sweater Pumpkins create a lovely warm and cozy pumpkin vignette. But you can have fun with bright bold colors too and use chair spindles for stems like I did with my Mid-Century Modern Fabric Pumpkins. The possibilities are endless for making fabric pumpkins.

These are the supplies you'll need to make the farmhouse fabric pumpkins. This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. At no cost to you, we receive a small commission if you make a purchase.

Supply list

Red Ticking Stripe Fabric or fabric of your choice
Matching All-Purpose Thread
Cotton Batting
Twine
White Ceramic Kitchen Cabinet Knobs or knobs of your choice
Artificial Fern Picks
8-inch Upholstery Needle
Mod Podge or White Glue
Hot Glue Gun
Awl

If you are more of a visual learner, I've included a short video below...

Video Tutorial

How to make fabric pumpkins

If you can sew a straight line, you can definitely make these pumpkins but you don't have to use a sewing machine.

Step 1 - Measurements for fabric pumpkins

The trick to measuring your fabric is to divide the width in half to get the height. I recommend making the pumpkins in multiple sizes like I did as follows:

Large Fabric Pumpkin: 20-inches wide x 10-inches tall
Medium Fabric Pumpkin: 16-inches wide x 8-inches tall
Small Fabric Pumpkin: 12-inches wide by 6-inches tall

Step 2 - Sewing fabric pumpkin side seams

If you don't have a sewing machine, you could hand-stitch the side seam or use fabric glue for a no-sew option.

• Fold fabric with the short sides together.
• Sew the side seams together. To prevent the fabric from fraying, I used the elastic stitch setting on my sewing machine which mimics a serged finish. 

Step 3 - Sewing fabric pumpkin bottom seams

• Baste stitch the bottom seam (largest stitch setting) and leave long threads on either end. Or hand-stitch a tacking or basting stitch. 
• Gently pull on the top strand of thread to gather the fabric (pictured above).
• Repeat by pulling the top strand of thread on the opposite side (pictured below).
• Tie the ends to secure the gathers.

No-Sew Option

Gather the fabric in your hand and tie it off with an elastic band.

Turn the pumpkin right side out.

Step 4 - Fill the fabric pumpkins

Fill the pumpkins with cotton batting up to approximately 1-1½ inches from the top.

Step 5 - Sew fabric pumpkin top seams

• With a needle and all-purpose thread, hand stitch the top closed and gather the fabric the same way as in Step 3.
• Draw the points together into the center and stitch in place.

Step 6 - How to make fabric pumpkin ribs and tendrils

Cut twine the following lengths per size of pumpkin:

Large: 90-inches
Medium: 80-inches
Small: 70-inches

Safety Tip 1

Be cautious when pushing the large upholstery needle through so it doesn't poke your hand.

Safety Tip 2

Avoid this step if you have a feline family member nearby. Unless you want to get distracted by the playful kitty and completely forget about Tip #1. Ask me how I know.

• With an 8-inch upholstery needle, thread a strand of twine through the top of the pumpkin and out the center of the bottom. You may want to use a thimble to help push the needle through the bulk of the pumpkin.
• Leave a long strand at the top for the first tendril.
• Holding the tendril in place with your thumb, pull the thread over the pumpkin and insert the needle into the top center and back through the base. 
• Wrap it over the opposite side of the pumpkin and pull taut to form the first two ribs and tie in a knot to hold in place.
• Repeat the last two steps until you have eight ribs and tie in a knot to secure.
• There should be two strands of twine at the top of the pumpkin for tendrils (pictured below).

Step 7 - How to add cabinet knob stems to fabric pumpkins

• With an Awl, poke a hole through the top and down to the bottom of the pumpkin and move the Awl in a back and forth motion to create a large enough hole (pictured above). Be careful during this step because the tip of that Awl is very sharp when it pops through the bottom. Once again, ask me how I know.
• Squish the pumpkin as tight as you can and from the bottom of the pumpkin, pull the cabinet knob screw through the hole created by the Awl and out the top of the pumpkin (pictured below). I'm not going to lie, lining up the screw can get a bit frustrating but be patient.
• Twist the knob onto the screw and hand tighten to secure. You may need to use a screwdriver to tighten the knob completely. 

Step 8 - How to make fabric pumpkin leaves 

I save everything and had quite the collection of faux greens in a large plastic tote. I found several plastic ferns picks that I've had in my stash for over 20 years. I removed the stems from the pick and simply hot glued the fern leaves under the cabinet knob stems.

Step 9 - Curling the fabric pumpkin tendrils

Use tin foil to protect the fabric during this step.

The pumpkins look like ladies in a hair salon wearing highlighting caps! Remember that torture back in the day?

This next step is when your grown children's school markers that you kept all these years come in handy.

• Pour white glue or Mod Podge into a plastic container.
• Dip your fingers into the glue and rub it all over the twine tendrils.
• Wrap the twine around the markers and leave them to dry for no more than an hour.
• Carefully slide the markers off the tendrils and let completely dry while curled.
• Once dry, loosen the tendril curls to your liking.

That's it, we're done. There may appear to be a lot of steps but they don't take that long to make. Once you've mastered one set, I promise you'll be looking for other fabric options to make more.

Create lovely Fall vignettes by mixing the fabric pumpkins with painted dollar store pumpkins. I love decorating with pumpkins in the Fall. I made burlap fabric pumpkins as well and you find them in my DIY Pumpkin Patch post.

Have you ever made fabric pumpkins? I'd love to hear what fabrics you used and what you used for the pumpkin stems. If you have any questions about this makeover, please leave them in the comment section below or press the Contact Me button at the top of the blog to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

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