Quilted Pumpkin Name Tage and Bowl Fillers

Every month at my quilt group meeting, we have a name tag drawing.  If you are wearing a hand-sewn name tag, you can put your name in for the drawing.  It's usually a gift certificate to a local quilt shop.

In a perfect world, I would like to have a name tag that will coordinate with my outfits or with each season.  So last week I made the time to whip up a new tag with pumpkins on it for the October meeting.  The orange strips are 1.25" wide and I added a corner square to make the strips into a pumpkin.  I embroidered my name using my sewing machine and added the bow and buttons when it was done.  

At my quilt group, everyone commented on my tag.  I just love it and now I want to make a different one for next month's meeting.  Maybe a patchwork acorn for November?

After making my new name tag, I made three more pumpkins from the strips that I had sewn together.  I turned them into bowl fillers for fall.  You can set them on a shelf or put them in a basket or bowl for decor.  

After I finished the pumpkins, I made some key fobs to match for fall.  Don't you just love them?  I do.  

Making Fall Pumpkins

A couple of weeks ago one of my crafty friends said that she wanted to make pumpkins.  I knew right away that she meant, sew them and use them for decorating, not make something to eat! 

She and another friend came over and we took out some fabrics and embellishments and this is what we came up with!  Cindy cut the branches from one of her trees.  Then we used a dish to trace a circle onto fabric- cut out two.  Using a tapestry needle threaded with floss, we sewed a gathering stitch around the edge of the circle.  We added poly fill stuffing and pulled the gathers to form the pumpkin.

Then we added the stick and hot glued it into place with some Spanish moss at the top.  The moss covered up the raw edges of the gathered fabric.  We added some leaves, flowers, jute bow and a small stamped tag to complete the look.

They were easy and fun to make!  I made my pumpkins out of an old sweater, some burlap and some outdoor fabrics- whatever I had lying around the craft room.  I just want to make them all day long.