Pumpkins and fall go together like bees and honey. Make some pumpkins to put that fun festive autumn feel in your decor. They look great tossed on the couch or a bed, set on a bench or placed on a table or shelf.

These are easily made with burlap/canvas for a rustic feel, cotton for a classic look or minky for a fun plush and huggable gourd. This is a pattern hack using Rustic Horseshoe’s Acorn Accent Pillow sewing pattern. D.A.S.I.E. maker Lindsey Foster saw the pumpkin potential in the acorn pattern and gave it a shot…what a great idea! Thank you Lindsey!

You Will Need:

– Acorn Accent Pillow Sewing Pattern and Tutorial
– Fabric requirements listed for the “acorn top” to make the pumpkin
– Fabric requirements listed for “oak leaves” to make pumpkin leaves
– Scrap of fabric for stem
– Fabric covered wire for curled vine (optional) (I found some at Hobby Lobby among the floral wire)
– Up to ~12 oz fiber filling (depending on pumpkin size and how firm you stuff it)
– Pumpkin leaf templates (free templates are found at the bottom of this page, click the icon to download)

Cotton Fabric: I used an orange dot batik quilting cotton similar to this.

Minky Fabric: I used Shannon Fabric’s Luxe Cuddle® Ziggy in Tangerine. (Tip: if using this fabric, be sure to line the long center of each template on the peak of the chevron so it is even on each panel when stuffed)

Burlap: I used burnt sienna, oyster, brown and a lighter orange color burlap fabrics. I backed them with duck canvas. When backing burlap, keep in mind the color you choose will show through so choose a color that will accent it in a manner you like. I used a chocolate canvas to give a more rustic look.

Step 1: Prepare the pattern template. You will be using the acorn “Top” pattern template in the size you’d like to make. Print two of the same template. Place the duplicate templates on top of each other so that there is a point at each end. The hacked template will now look similar to a football shape. Tape them together and trim away the corners of the straight edge that protrude over the side.

Step 2: Follow the cut instructions on the pattern template and cut the panels for the pumpkin from fabric. (if using burlap, follow the instructions in the Acorn Accent Pillow sewing pattern to prepare the fabric before sewing together).

Step 3: Follow “How to Make the Nut Step 1” in the tutorial.

Step 4: Follow “How to Make the Nut Step 3” in the tutorial.

Step 5: Follow “How to Make the Nut Steps 4 & 5” in the tutorial.

Step 6: Stuff the pumpkin and ladder stitch the opening closed.

Step 7: Follow the steps to sew and attach the stem in the “Create the Stem” section in the tutorial.

Step 8: The bottom of the pumpkin is obviously different than that of the acorn. It has the same gap the top of the pumpkin and acorn have which the stem covers (unless you used a light fabric you could sew over this bulky spot). If you want to cover this, cut a fabric circle and either hand stitch it in place (a blanket stitch would look fun!) or glue it on using hot glue or E6000 glue.

Step 9: Follow the “How to Make Oak Leaves” instructions in the tutorial to create the pumpkin leaves (free leaf templates are at the bottom of this page, click the icon to download).

Step 10: If you’d like to add a little twisy vine, cut the fabric covered wire to your desired length. Use some hot glue to secure the ends from fraying. Wrap it around a pen or other cylinder object to give it some curl. Pinch it in half (can be uneven ‘halves’). Stitch or glue the pinched location to the pumpkin near the stem.

Step 11: Stitch or glue the leaf (or leaves) to the pumpkin.

Now you’re ready to decorate with your pumpkin! Another fun hack to the acorn pattern is a cute barrel cactus!