These Upcycled Crochet Thread Ball Pumpkins are a Cute Craft for Tweens
If you’re looking for a fun craft to do with your tween this fall, these crochet thread ball pumpkins are super cute and incredibly simple.
Some of the best seasonal crafts are those that take few supplies and little time to create, especially when working with kids, even older ones.
I love the fact that this upcycled craft repurposes spools of crochet thread and turns them into pumpkins that you can place around your house. Because aside from pumpkin spice treats, there’s nothing that gets people excited about fall more than seasonal decorations.
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Fall Decorations for Kids to Make
One of the best things about fall is that it’s the start of decorating season. In our home, we decorate for fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. So once the fall stuff goes up, I know we’re entering the best part of the year!
We love filling our home with all kinds of festive décor, including the autumn crafts we’ve made together over the years. While you may not make as many as your kids get older, you should still try to spend some time creating something unique for the season.
I find that it’s a great way to bond with my kids and create some memories that we get to relive every year when we put them around the house. If you want to use your crafts to adorn your home this season, skip the random ones and choose projects that will look good as decorations.
There are a ton of fall crafts for teens that make excellent decorations and these upcycled pumpkins are an excellent choice for tweens. They look great when finished and can easily be customized to fit your décor.
So, gather up your supplies and get started.
Fall Upcycle Craft
This pumpkin craft makes a great upcycle project. If you have any balls of crochet thread in your crafting supplies, repurpose them for this cute project. If you don’t have any, check your local thrift stores. You can often find them on the shelves.
If you’re making these embroidery hoop pumpkins for your autumn décor, many of the supplies can do double duty. You can use the same paint, felt and covered craft wire for this craft too.
Before running to the store, check your craft closet for moss. Most crafters have a partial bag somewhere in their supplies and you don’t need much for this project.
And, you can reuse the cork from a bottle of sparkling wine or use another type of large cork for the stem on these pumpkins.
It’s up to you how much you want to spend on this craft. You can easily grab everything in one trip to a craft store, of if you have the time, try finding the supplies at thrift stores and in your own supplies.
Either way, you’ll have no trouble putting together these fall-themed pumpkins.
Homemade Pumpkins
This fall craft is incredibly simple. You’ll take two skeins of crochet thread and paint them two different shades of orange.
The addition of a cork stem, felt leaves, and brown vines turns the thread balls into a pair of adorable chunky pumpkins that look great on your table for autumn.
Download your leaf pattern and keep reading for detailed instructions and printable supply list.
Customizing the Thread Ball Pumpkins
There are a couple of things you can do to make this project more unique.
- Change the shape of the pumpkins by choosing a different style of thread ball. Just make sure it’s cotton, so it can dye easily.
- You don’t have to stick with the standard orange for this craft. Make yourself a rainbow colored pumpkin patch.
- Want to make it even easier? Buy orange thread and skip the painting step.
Materials Used for the Crochet Thread Pumpkin Craft
Here a few of the supplies you’re going to need.
- Ball of crochet thread (grab at a craft store or upcycle from thrift store)
- Orange craft paint
- Reindeer moss
- Sparkling wine corks
Crochet Thread Size 3
Acrylic Craft Paint – Candy Corn OrangeReindeer MossSparkling Wine Corks
Remember that not all supplies needed for the crochet ball pumpkins are listed here.
Crochet Thread Ball Pumpkins
Are you ready to make the craft? Here are step-by-step instructions.
Upcycled Thread Ball Pumpkin
Vintage balls of thread, some craft paint, and felt transforms into a pair of chunky pumpkins. It's the perfect style for your Fall home décor or Autumn table decoration.
Materials
- 2 Cotton Crochet Thread Balls
- Craft Paint – Bright Orange and Burnt Orange
- Olive Green Felt Scraps
- 2 Small Plastic Spray Bottles (3 or 4 oz)
- Craft Moss
- 2 Champagne Corks
- Brown Wired Twine
- Thread ball pumpkin leaf pattern
Tools
- Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Wire Cutters
- Ruler
Instructions
STEP ONE
Gather all supplies.
STEP TWO
Squeeze 1 oz. of bright orange craft paint into one of the plastic bottes.
Then, add 2 oz. of water. Replace cap and shake until all paint has dissolved into the water.
Repeat with the burnt orange acrylic craft paint and the second spray bottle.
STEP THREE
Remove any labels from the thread.
In a well-ventilated area, or outside, spray the outside of the thread balls with bright orange and burnt orange paint.
Set aside to dry. Apply a second coat, if necessary.
Mix the colors slightly by very lightly spraying one color on top of the other.
STEP FOUR
Measure and cut two 12” lengths of wired twine using wire cutters. Wrap around a pencil, and then slide off to create a vine.
Stretch and bend the wire to create a pumpkin vine.
STEP FIVE
Download and print the leaf pattern and cut it out. Lay it onto a piece of olive green craft felt and cut out two with scissors.
To create dimension, apply a dot of glue at the base of each leaf and fold in half.
STEP SIX
Attach a champagne cork to the front center of the hole at the top of the thread ball with a glue gun and glue sticks. Hold in place until the glue dries completely.
Fill in the rest of the hole with small amounts of moss.
Glue the wired twine vine and the leaf to the back of the cork stem.
Your family and friends will never know how quick and easy this trendy Autumn décor was to create!
You can also pair it with a pumpkin spice treat to make the perfect seasonal gift.
Looking for something different? You don't have to stick with orange - create a colorful pumpkin patch this fall by using a variety of colors for your thread ball pumpkins.
Notes
Make sure you use cotton crochet thread. It needs to be cotton for the painting process to work.
This is a quick and easy craft. The longest part will be waiting for the paint to dry. That may take longer than the 25 minutes listed above.
You can change things up by creating a variety of colors of thread ball pumpkins.
Check the Dollar Store and local thrift store for the materials for this project. Use materials you already have for and upcycle craft.
Don't forget to download the leaf pattern.
Recommended Products
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Fall is a great time for you and your tweens to make some crafts that you can use to decorate for the season. This upcycled pumpkin craft is not only easy to make, it’s a great way to use up some supplies. And the pumpkins will look incredibly cute on your mantle or table.
Fall Craft Ideas
If you’re looking for more crafts to make with your tweens this fall, check these out.
- Use clothespins to create this unique pumpkin.
- This fall leaf luminary is incredibly simple to make.
- Make a sweet candy corn luminary out of a glass vase and paint.
- Use chalk pastels to create some cute autumn projects.
- Here are some fall crafts for tweens.
- This burlap wreath takes few supplies to create.
Are you excited to make your own thread pumpkins?
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