Sew Cute: Painted Pumpkin
I love pumpkins. I mean, what’s not to love? They’re colorful, grow in fun shapes and smell like fall. I love carving pumpkins for Halloween, too, but I don’t have a great place to display them. In fact, I was prepared not to get a pumpkin at all this year. But I found this little dude with a curly stem and thought it was too cute to pass up. Instead of carving it up, though, I decided to try something new and paint it.
I wanted to give my pumpkin a trendy chevron pattern, and I chose a sparkly gold paint to create a pretty contrast with the orange rind. Not going to lie, the glitter also made me think of Cinderella’s coach. But I knew I couldn’t just paint the pumpkin – the word “sew” is right in the title, after all – so I doubled-down on this project by making a little sign, kind of like a name tag. Since I painted my pumpkin a not-very-Halloween color (and it hardly looks scary), I made the sign in traditional orange and black. Mine reads “Boo!”, but feel free to make yours say whatever you want.
This project is pretty easy. In fact, the hardest part is having the patience to wait for the paint to dry!
Materials:
- Pumpkin (make sure it’s clean and dry)
- Painter’s tape or masking tape
- Scissors
- Craft paint
- Foam brush
- Felt
- Thread in a corresponding color to the felt
- Basic sewing needle
- Ribbon or yarn
Craft away:
- Cut strips of tape and stick them onto the pumpkin in a zigzag pattern. Don’t worry about being too precise about how they line up – the surface of the pumpkin will be bumpy, and I personally prefer my crafts a little imperfect. Continue placing the strips until the pumpkin is covered from top to bottom, leaving an inch or two of space in between. The more space, the wider the painted chevron.
- Using the foam brush, apply a thin layer of paint to the bare patches of pumpkin. Pro tip: leave the very bottom unpainted – that way, you don’t have to worry about paint ending up anywhere else! Let dry. If you’re using a glittery paint like mine, you might have to apply two layers of paint.
- While the paint is drying, cut out a small rectangle of felt and letters spelling out your message. You can freehand the letters or trace them – I freehanded them to add a more homemade touch.
- Cut a couple feet of thread and fold it in half, then thread the needle and tie a knot. Sew the letters to the felt using a simple in-and-out motion. Remember to tie a knot when you’re finished!
- Cut a piece of ribbon or yarn long enough to reach around your pumpkin’s stem. Sew the ends to the back of the rectangle of felt.
- Once your pumpkin is dry, carefully peel off the tape.
- Hang the felt rectangle around the stem of the pumpkin.
- There you have it! A sweet, spooky decoration sure to brighten your porch or windowsill.
