There is just something so appealing about shabby chic decor, isn’t there? Maybe it’s because it’s so feminine. Anyway, a pretty ruffled muslin pumpkin on Pinterest caught my eye. Who would have thought?
Judy Clark at 20northora.Blogspot made her pumpkins from dollar store Styrofoam pumpkins. That was my original intention. However, when I was shopping at the fabric store, I noticed paper mache pumpkins that were half off. Judy’s pumpkins came to mind. Wouldn’t this be a perfect base for a shabby chic pumpkin?
You can buy muslin fabric for this project. Since you won’t be washing it, you don’t have to prewash unless you want to make it look a little more ‘shabby’. I have a few flat white sheets that we don’t use anymore. Sheets make the perfect fabric for shabby chic decor and they are free!
Supplies Needed For A Shabby Chic Pumpkin
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- Styrofoam or Paper Mache Pumpkin
- Muslin Fabric or An Old White Sheet
- Off-White Acrylic Craft Paint
- Scissors
- White Thread
- Sewing Machine
- Tacky Glue and, or, Low Melt Glue Gun
Directions For Making A Shabby Chic Pumpkin
Prepare The Paper Mache Pumpkin
First, remove the paper leaves if your pumpkin has them. They aren’t very pretty, are they? You won’t want to use them for this project. I wasn’t going to remove the twine around the pumpkin stem, but I decided to do just that in the end.
Then, using acrylic craft paint, paint the pumpkin off-white. I hadn’t planned on doing this step. Then I placed a couple of the gathered strips in the pumpkin recesses, side by side. Some of the paper mache base was visible. Painting it white will make it blend in instead of sticking out like a sore thumb.
Ruffled Strips Of Fabric
Depending on the size of the pumpkin, you may want to adjust the width of your strips of fabric. For the dollar store pumpkins, Judy cut hers into 1-1/2 -inch strips. Her pumpkin is smaller than the one I bought.
You could actually run a basting stitch up the center by hand if you have a lot of patience and don't have a sewing machine. The sewing machine will make it much quicker though.
Gather Your Strips
Use Tacky Glue or your glue gun to glue the gathered strips to the pumpkin. When you have it gathered nicely, run a short bead of glue onto the top of the pumpkin at the base of the stem.
The Stem
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I’m speaking from experience here. Before you start gluing the gathered strips on your pumpkin, you should probably consider what you are going to use for the stem. You can purchase pumpkin stems from Amazon. It takes a while for a real pumpkin stem to completely dry. You might want to consider removing the paper mache stem and replacing it with something else. Keep reading…
After gluing half of the strips to the pumpkin, I realized the stem is almost covered. Only the end is visible. Brainstorming, I came up with the idea of making a stem with brown paper bags and Mod Podge. I’ve seen it done.
I ran this past my daughter, Danielle, and asked for any suggestions. She suggested a wine cork, not that I have any of those around. Lol! That was my plan…
Finding The Perfect Stem
Then, I pulled out another storage bin and came across this dried pumpkin stem. Isn’t it perfect? This is one we cut off of a pumpkin a couple of years ago and dried. It’s pretty simple to do.
In order to slip it over the paper mache stem, I carved a hole the diameter of the stem on the underside. Frankly, I took a 7/8 – inch spade drill bit. I didn’t use the drill, just turned it by hand and carved out the dried pulp. The dried pulp is pretty easily carved and it worked pretty well.
To Decorate The Ruffled Pumpkin Or Not
If you like, gather pretty laces, ribbons, cording, buttons, jewelry, silk leaves, or whatever you want to decorate the pumpkin. You can use silk flowers or make ribbon roses. I like the look of fabric roses, but I tried to dye a fabric strip orange and it ended up being too pastel for fall. It looks more like a peach color. It’s pretty but doesn’t scream fall! Click here for how to make fabric roses and how to dye the fabric strips. Or here ↓
Shabby Chic Ribbon Roses
Easy Fabric Roses You’ll Make For Your Shabby Chic Decor
The funny thing is, after gathering all of the laces, ribbons, and decorative picks, I personally, love this shabby chic pumpkin with no decorations!!! Sometimes, you need to know when to stop!
Looking for clever and beautiful fall ideas? Click on the images below to find some of my fall favorites!
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