That start of October means it is time to get up those Halloween decorations! Add a bit of the holiday without overdoing it or breaking the bank with these cute little DIY sweater pumpkins. They can be made in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Bonus- you get to repurpose last year’s outgrown or outdated sweaters!

Supplies for DIY Sweater Pumpkins:

old sweaters (try to fun textures and colors)fabric scissorsembroidery thread (or thicker thread)needlethicker sized stickpillow stuffingsaw (to cut sticks down if needed)

DIY Sweater Pumpkins Instructions:

Step 1: Cut the stick into small pieces

Start by cutting the stick down to small pieces that will serve as the stem of your pumpkin using a saw. Use a larger diameter stick or branch for large pumpkins and a thinner branch for smaller pumpkins. This one was perfect as it provided multiple diameters.

Step 2: Make circle shapes out of a sweater

Cut a circle shape out of the sweater to start making your pumpkin. Don’t fret if it is not a perfect circle, pumpkins are organic and not perfect spheres!

Step 3: Fill the pumpkin shape with pillow stuffing

Next, fill in the pumpkin with pillow stuffing. Pull the batting apart to help fluff it up and then gather it into a ball to help make it more adaptable to fit inside your pumpkin.

Step 4: Thread the pumpkin shapes together

Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of your thread to start bringing your pumpkin together. Here we used a green thread to compliment the bright orange sweater and also add some greenery to the stem portion. Pick a spot on the circle to start gathering your pumpkin and take your needle from the inside of the pumpkin out.

Step 5: Sew the edges and start gathering the top

Sew across to the other edge of the circle to bring the 2 edges together and then start gathering the top of your pumpkin by sewing from the inside out large stitches. Continue sewing until you come around back to the first stitch. Here and there thread back to the middle where your initial stitch was (and where the 2 sides of the circle came together) to start gathering everything towards the center

Step 6: Put stick tip into the gather portion of the pumpkin

Finish up gathering your pumpkin at the center by threading a few times in the center and then popping your stick down into the gathered portion of the pumpkin. Sew the thread in a few spots of the gathered sweater at the top and then wrap around the pumpkin tightly.

Step 7: Finish off the DIY sweater pumpkins by snipping excess thread

Once you have wrapped the thread around the stick and everything is secure, tie off the thread and snip the excess. Your crafty pumpkin is done!

Maneuver the pillow stuffing inside the pumpkin to fill it out and plump it up and put it on display. Make a few more in different colors and shapes for around the house!