I only had a sleeve left from a sweater to create the white pumpkin above so this tutorial is for a small pumpkin. But... I was feeling kind of badly.  I'm a new blogger after all, and didn't want to disappoint you.... so I decided that one little pumpkin just wasn't good enough. I love my followers and want you to stick around {smiley face} and so I also made the big orange pumpkin from a tee and I'm giving you that tutorial as well!

How to make sweater pumpkins

Update: My photography skills have improved dramatically since I first wrote this post over 6 years ago! You can head here to see some prettier pictures...but then return here for the tutorial!

This post may contain affiliate links, which are always products I personally recommend! My full  disclosure policy is available here.

Supplies needed

• sweaters or shirts in your choice of colors Tip: children's sweaters or Ladies S are your best choice unless you want a HUGE pumpkin!
• Tip: look for a sweater with texture - cables, ribs, or some other raised feature - check your local Goodwill (that's where all my sweaters came from)
• dried beans (I used these ones - they were the cheapest and they're nice and small)
• fiberfill stuffing
• rubber bands
• strong quilting thread 
• upholstery needle (or other large, thick, long needle)
• various embellishments for the stem area ( wired jute, felt, ribbon, silk leaves, tulle, sticks, etc)

Instructions for the white sweater pumpkin

This is what I started with. A sweater minus one sleeve and its body (those are already pumpkins!)

If you want to make a large pumpkin with your sweater, cut your sweater straight across the body just under the armpits (see pic below for orange pumpkin).

If you want to  make a small pumpkin, cut the sleeve off at the armpit, straight across.








Turn your piece inside out and wrap a rubber band tightly around one end.

Turn it back the right way so the rubber band is on the inside.

Add some dried beans. You are not filling the pumpkin, just giving it some stability so it sits nicely and doesn't fall over.

For the small pumpkin, I added 2/3 cup.



Sorry for the terrible pic! Trying to stuff a narrow sleeve and take a pic with the other hand is, um, not easy!

You get the idea. Fill it with some fiberfill. Work it around so it is smooth and as plump as you'd like it.









I decided I wanted this pumpkin to have a long, funky stem so this is as full as I stuffed it.

I could have stuffed it much more and had a tall, skinny pumpkin. Hey, there's no "wrong" shape for a pumpkin...have you looked at them lately? ALL shapes and sizes :)




Tie the pumpkin off with another rubber band, as tightly as possible.




Make a stem using wired jute. Start wrapping it around the rubber band at the base, and continue to wrap, pulling as tightly as possible.



Once I got close to the top, I decided to clip my sweater because I wanted the tip of my stem to be narrower.

I could have left it as is; my pumpkin stem would just have been the same size all the way up.



Wrap all the way to the tip, pulling tightly. Then cut the jute and secure with a dot of hot glue. Careful, I always burn my fingers!!  You will be able to bend the stem at the tip to give it a cute curve.

At this point, you can stop. It's cute. Add a leaf or two for embellishments, some curled wire and call it a day.

If you want to learn how to add segments to your pumpkin, read on.


Ok, this part was really hard to photograph, and I hope I explain it well. If you don't get it, send me a comment and I'll try to do a better job.

Get a long, double strand of thick thread and knot the end. Push the needle up through the bottom of the pumpkin and come out at the top at the base of the stem somewhere. It's helpful to use a thimble or something flat to push the needle up and all the way through.


You can see my thread that is coming out at the top right at the base of the stem. Ignore the dried glue on my thumb - ick!

The next step is to repeat what you just did.....wrap the thread back around the pumpkin from top to bottom, put the needle through the base and bring it up at the stem again, but in a different section.

As you pull the thread tightly, the whole pumpkin with scrunch up and the segments will naturally form.



Here I'm showing about how much room I leave between segments. I left the thread loose so you could better visualize the process.

Repeat this step all the way around the pumpkin, up and around, up and around, pulling nice and tight until you are done and then tie your thread off well.




This is what the bottom of the pumpkin looks like with the 5 segments I gave it.

Adorable little "bum," isn't it?

Total aside - I'm Canadian...we say "bum", not "butt." It sounds much better, doesn't it?




You can see how the pumpkin is shorter and squatter than before I sewed the segments.

Whatever way you decide to go, it's adorable and sure to make a charming display in your home!

Yay, you made a pumpkin! Do you love it? Send me a pic, I'd love to ooh and aah over your creation!

I promised you a bonus tutorial, and here it is....with a slight variation on tying it off and the stem.  Enjoy :)

How to make a t-shirt pumpkin

 (works with sweaters too!)