How to Turn an Old Shirt into a Pumpkin

Inside: Need something cute, quick, and easy to make for last-minute fall decor? Turn an old shirt into a pumpkin with just a few easy steps.

I know what you’re thinking–awww! Am I right? While I wish I could take credit for this idea, Emily sent the link to me from a website called It’s Always Autumn. With that inspiration, I took some old flannel shirt material, toilet paper rolls (yes, toilet paper), ribbon, and sticks from the yard and made a couple myself. (The ones pictured above.) But the small one? I had to improvise and so I can tell you how I made it. But, first, let me direct you to the link where you can find the instructions for these cute pumpkins.

Incidentally, you might be wondering why I don’t go ahead and include the project instructions here, but it’s not mine to give. So please support It’s Always Autumn by clicking over. Besides, it’s a cool website, and you’ll be glad you did!

To Make the Smaller Pumpkin

Truth be told, I figure this little cutie could double as an apple, too! Think red plaid material, and you’d have it. . . But back to the project. Again, I used old flannel shirt material. Thanks to Hubs, I have quite a stash of spent plaid shirts. All I really had to buy was green ribbon.

This is one of the quickest projects you will ever make! So are you ready?

You will need:

a 9-inch square of your favorite material
a piece of green ribbon, 1 inch wide by 3 or 4 inches long
a stick from the great outdoors (I used a piece off a grapevine for this one.)
a 2 1/2-inch cardboard tube (I used a leftover cardboard tube from a roll of wrapping paper, cut down to size.)
2 plastic grocery sacks for stuffing your pumpkin
a couple of pieces of scotch or masking tape

Instructions:

Take your plastic grocery sacks and make them into a long “rope” (tie them or tape them together) for winding around your 2 1/2-inch cardboard tube. Start at the bottom, taping one end there, and wind the plastic sack around the cardboard tube. You want to make it thickest around the middle of your pumpkin.

Flannel shirt pumpkin craft. — It’s really pretty simple.

Place your wrapped tube in the middle of your flannel shirt square and bring up each corner, tucking it inside the top of the tube. You may have to tuck and fold it a little to make it look more pumpkin-like.

turning a flannel shirt into a pumpkin. — Tuck the corners in, playing with the material as you do to make it more pumpkin-like.

Once the tucking is finished, place your stick (stem) in the center. I didn’t do anything special to fasten it inside, but feel free to do so if you’d like. Tie the green ribbon in a knot around the stick stem and trim the ends with a diagonal cut to resemble leaves.