Sweater sleeve pumpkins are a great way to upcycle old or thrifted sweaters! They are easy and cheap to make and will add so much charm to your Fall decorating.

Hey friends, before I share this sweater pumpkin tutorial, I have to tell you about our weekend! Mr DIY and I spent all day Saturday installing our wood walls. They look fantastic and I can't wait to share how easy it was!

Update: You can see how easy it was to install our wood walls here and you can view the messy before and gorgeous after of our sunroom reveal by clicking here!

A little history of my relationship with sweater pumpkins 😍

Sweater pumpkins and I go waaayyy back. In fact, one of the very first blog posts I ever published back in 2013 was a sweater pumpkin tutorial!

I cringe when I look back at those pictures...my photography skills have come a long way! I keep crafting these pumpkins because not only are they easy and affordable...but they are just so cute...and it's easy to tuck them in a corner, on a book or candle holder, in a basket...you get the idea!

Easy DIY pumpkins made from sweater sleeves

Click to see all my Fall DIYs

These pumpkins really are easy to make, and need just a few supplies.

Supplies to make sweater pumpkins

Step One - prep sleeve

Step Two - dried beans baby

Add an inch or two of dried beans to the bottom. This helps pumpkin hold its shape and gives it a weighted base.

Step Three -  add the fluff

Add polyfill about halfway up the sleeve.

Step Four - tie closed

Tie top with rubber band as tightly as possible. You could also use a strong piece of yarn or jute twine to close the top of your pumpkins.

Step Five - conceal

Tie jute cord tightly around the rubber band.

Step Six - make stem slimmer

Cut corners off remaining sleeve to reduce bulk.

Step Seven - wrap step

Wrap jute twine as tightly as possible along the length of the stem we are creating. You will notice it getting narrower as you get to the end because we removed the bulk in the previous step.

Step Eight - finish

Glue end of jute to stem.

That's it! You can see these pumpkins in action all around my fall-decorated home!



And if you're comfortable with a needle and thread, it's quite easy to add segments to your sweater pumpkin.

How to add segments to DIY pumpkins

Step One - thread needle and push through pumpkin from bottom

Knot end of a length of sturdy thread (I used this cotton yarn).

Starting at the middle of the base, insert needle into pumpkin and draw it up at top of stem. You may have to squish the pumpkin to get the needle to pass all the way through and use a pair of pliers.

Note: this is not a normal needle, it's longer and thicker with a larger eye.

Step Two - create segments

Pull thread around pumpkin back to the base. The thread will show on the side of the pumpkin.

Now repeat Step One a few more times, to create as many segments as you want. It may be difficult to pass the needle through the rubber bands, and beans. A thimble will make it easier because you'll be able to push on the needle with your finger. Or you can use a pair of pliers to pull the needle through all the layers.

Space the segments out evenly. Pull tightly on the thread each time you draw it through the pumpkin. You will end with the thread on the bottom of the pumpkin. Knot it to finish and clip thread.

You will wind up with a flatter pumpkin that has segments, like the front one in the picture here. I didn't make segments on these other two pumpkins. So it's really up to you depending on what look you prefer.
I hope you're inspired to make a few sweater sleeve pumpkins after seeing how cute they are and how easy they are to make!

Send me any questions you have if you need help understanding this tutorial and I'll do my best to help you through it!

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bringing beauty to the ordinary,