Looking back at 10 years of Fall crafts and tutorials, I realized that most of my Fall decor focuses on pumpkins. See my entire catalogue of Fall ideas here. I wanted to broaden my horizons and make something different for my home this season. Acorns are popular around this time when the weather starts to cool off and the oak trees drop their leaves. We don't have any large oaks around us, so I wasn't able to scavenge any acorns and decided to turn my hand to crafting some large fabric acorns that have a primitive, rustic vibe.

While these acorns are easy to make, you will want to be sure to read my Tips below for the best results!

• fabric remnants (I used homespun check*, coffee stained drop cloth** and some primitive blue fabrics in a stripe and floral)
• plastic eggs (I used the solid ones that Walmart sells at Easter)
• jute twine, rope, cording (you could even use brown leather cording)***
• hot glue
• small twigs
• fabric scissors ( these are my favorite and they're under $8)
• a 4" round object to trace
• needle and thread (optional)

**follow the directions in this post to stain drop cloth with coffee and cinnamon

***if you're a crafter, you likely have several rustic twine options on hand already, if not, visit the dollar store to see what they have!

Trace 4" circles onto the backs of fabric, and cut out with fabric scissors. You'll need one circle per egg.

If you're handy with a needle, thread a needle with thread (color doesn't matter because it will be covered with twine), and stitch a loose running stitch around the circle, leaving about 3" at each end (don't knot).

Optional - If you'd rather not sew, that's no problem! Just skip this step and pick up in the next step!

Slip the pointed egg of the egg into the stitched and gathered fabric (pull the ends together to tighten the stitches and knot) evenly around the egg. Use a few dabs of hot glue to secure the fabric to the egg, pulling fabric taught and smooth as high up as it will go. The tighter the fabric, the more of an acorn shape your egg will have.

Optional - If you didn't stitch the fabric, place a drop of hot glue on the point of the egg and stand it in the middle of the fabric circle. Use your fingers to pull and gather the fabric up the egg, gluing as you go to secure fabric in place. Try to evenly space gathers as much as possible.

Step 4 - attach twine or cording to top

Put a drop of hot glue just below the stitches and press twine in place. Wrap the egg top in twine, using glue as needed to hold it in place. Continue wrapping around the egg, all the way to the top. Cut twine and tuck end down into hole with a little glue to secure.

Cut a small stem or twig from outside and place a little hot glue on the end. Tuck it into the hole at the top of the twine to create the acorn stem. Hold in place for a few seconds until the glue sets.

Keep reading for my tips for success!

1. Be sure that the point of the egg is at the bottom of the acorn for the most realistic shape.
2. Pull fabric tightly so it adheres to the shape of the egg. Try to create even gathers but don't stress about getting it perfect, it won't matter!
3. When gluing the twine for the tops, cut the ends at an angle to reduce bulk. Keep the twine layers as close as possible to cover the top of the fabric, and to create a solid looking acorn top.
4. You will have a lot of glue strands and even some twine fuzz. To reduce this, use a lighter to carefully burn the twine. Keep flame moving evenly and quickly, and you'll see glue threads and twine fuzz vanish. Do this before you add the stem! You can see how I did this when I made my DIY bee skeps HERE. Burning the twine will also slightly darken it, which gives it more dimension.
5. If you have sensitive fingers, wear silicone finger tips to protect your pinkies from the hot glue! I may have burned off all my fingerprints 😕

Pile your crafted fabric acorns in a small bowl or plate with a couple of fall leaves. Because my acorns have patterns, I used minimal decor around them so they don't get visually lost in the clutter! White vintage ironstone pieces help to anchor the acorns and give contrast!

Remember contrasts. Display your handcrafted acorns on something that provides visual contrast. Here I used another small white plate set on top my painted vintage dresser.

The same rule applies if you used light colored fabrics for your acorns, use darker surroundings so they stand out.

For a more colorful display, pile acorns around a wreath wrapped candle. I recently made this candle with a blue floral napkin, and along with my blue gingham DIY tablecloth, it makes a cute display on my kitchen table.

The woven basket ties in with the colors of the acorns and makes for a pleasing, eye-catching display.

I'm sure you can think of additional ways to use these acorns in your fall decorated home, here's just a few more I thought of:

• create a garland by stringing acorns along a length of ribbon or jute, and hang along mantel
• glue acorns into a wreath (this is more permanent) for your front door
• use acorns to decorate individual fall place settings by placing one on each plate, you could even tuck in a name tag!

I hope you enjoyed this simple and affordable Fall craft and are excited to create your own version of rustic fabric acorns to use in your home ❤

• DIY chunky drippy candles
• Primitive pumpkin place cards
• Faux blackened beeswax Fall jar
• Wood bead and homespun sunflowers
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