My mother, noted genius (see here and here), came up with a beautiful craft she's letting me share today: DIY silk pumpkins that I think would make the perfect Thanksgiving table decor! She and a few creative friends got together last weekend, and these pretty pumpkins were the result.
There are three sizes you can make (one large and two medium are shown here).
You will need:
- Silk (or silk-like fabric) cut into circles (10" across for large; 7" for medium; 5" for small)
- Batting cut into circles (9" across for large; 6" for medium; 4" for small)
- Uncooked rice
- A needle and strong thread (alternatively, you can double your thread)
- Pumpkin or gourd stems
- Hot glue gun
First, make sure the bases of your stems are completely dry. An easy way to do this is to bake them in the oven at 150 degrees for a few hours.
With a circle of batting laid on top of a circle of silk, begin stitching the batting and the silk together (see below for photos). Every few stitches, tug the thread gently so that the fabric bunches up.
Once you have sewed about three-quarters around the circle, fill the pumpkin with rice using a spoon. A funnel is helpful, and if you don't have one, you can make one out of paper. Nudge the rice into all the nooks and crannies using the opposite end of your spoon.
When it's packed tightly with rice, continue sewing and bunching your fabric until the circle is closed. Sew back and forth across the opening to make sure it's closed up tight! Knot your thread.
Next, push the threaded needle through the opening and out the bottom of the pumpkin, then back in and out through the opening. Tug gently to create an indentation on the bottom of the pumpkin, and knot and cut your thread. (This will help it keep a round, pumpkin-y shape.)
Using a hot glue gun, attach the (dry) stem to the top of the pumpkin. Hold it in place until the glue cools.
I think they're so cute, and how nice is it to be able to choose the colors to match your decor? A dozen or so will decorate the table at my parents' house this Thanksgiving.
