Hello friends and welcome to Thrifty Style Team! We are a group of home decor bloggers who love all things thrifty and we come together once a month to share our ideas with you! These ladies have become my friends, and each one is so talented, I know you're going to love seeing their ideas for Fall! All the links are below.

I love Fall. I love the crisp temperatures, opening windows at night, watching the leaves change to riots of warm colors, visiting the pumpkin patch and pulling out all the cozy things in my home! Here in south Texas, we don't get much of what I love - but that doesn't stop me from making my home look and feel (and smell!) like Fall has arrived. 

Click here to see all my Fall projects.

Today's DIY tutorial is a twist on my popular sweater sleeve pumpkins. This pumpkin tutorial is even thriftier if you follow my tips below! Sometimes you can't find the right sweater at the right price to make cozy sweater pumpkins. This pumpkin tutorial I'm sharing today does a fantastic job of mimic-ing the look and feel of the coziest sweater pumpkins, and it's super easy to do!

In full disclosure, I don't know how to crochet! I've tried. I've watched YouTube videos and my mom even tried to show me step by step when she was still alive, but I just couldn't get the hang of it. But here's the thing - you do NOT need to know how to crochet to make these cute and cozy pumpkins! You just need to be able to make a crochet chain, which is simple to do (yep, even I could figure it out!). A crochet chain is just one simple step that you repeat over and over until your chain is long enough!

Click here to watch me make this crochet chain pumpkin and then come back here for the written directions and supplies list with links to the exact products I used.

Before I share the steps to this easy DIY pumpkin, make sure you're following me on Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest and Facebook. And if you're not already subscribed to my newslet er, you can sign up here so you are the first to be notified when I post a new project!

I used two different types of cotton yarn to make my pumpkins. One of them has a softer, fluffier texture, while the other is rougher and more textured - you can see the difference below. 

The first step to these cute DIY pumpkins is to WATCH MY VIDEO HERE to learn how to make the easy chain. You will need a lot of chain for one pumpkin, about half of one skein of yarn. Just go ahead and make a lot of chain but don't cut the yarn. You may need to chain a little more to have enough to cover the pumpkin.

Once I got the hang of the tension I needed for each type of yarn (I share my tips and what works for me in the video), I was able to quickly finish the crochet chain. It's a great project to do while you're chatting in the evening or even while you're watching television.

A couple notes on each type of yarn - the fluffy yarn will give your pumpkins a softer look while the macrame cord will give a highly textured look. Use whichever one gives you the look you want or try using both and make a variety of pumpkins like I did.

Make sure of two things before you start:

1. remove the pumpkin stem
2. your pumpkin should be a neutral color, so if you need to paint it first, do that; any kind of paint will work but chalk paint dries super fast

1. glue rows close together
2. try to keep chain flat as you glue (it will want to twist up on you a little bit)
3. press chain into the pumpkin segments
4. add chain all the way around the pumpkin and the bottom, cutting excess chain only when you're nearly finished
5. secure last few bits of chain to pumpkin with glue
6. use a blow dryer (or  heat gun) to melt all the hot glue threads

Once you've covered your pumpkin in crochet chain, you can insert a stick or hot glue the stem back into place. I made a few DIY realistic pumpkin stems for mine, which I'll be sharing in another tutorial this fall!

These DIY pumpkins are quick, so easy, and add great texture to your fall decor! I am loving them with these copper pumpkins I painted a couple years ago!

I can't decide if I prefer the pumpkins with the rougher texture from the macrame cord, or the fluffier yarn. I'm glad I made some of each!

Don't forget to keep scrolling for the links to the rest of the Thrifty Style Team projects and Fall decorating ideas!

• foam pumpkin from Dollar Tree, or other
• white or light colored paint (this spray chalk paint is a fave!)
• Yarn Bee Cotton XXL yarn in Almond (I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby but you can also get it here)
• 5.5 mm crochet hook
• 3 mm natural macrame cord
• hot glue
• blow dryer or heat gun

More Thrifty Style Team Projects

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