DIY Plush Pumpkin Pillow

Fall is just around the corner, and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to decorate my home for the season! Pumpkin shaped pillows are everywhere this year, and I decided to try making my own. Here’s how you can get the on-trend look for a fraction of the cost.

Image contains a woven basket containing a neutral plaid pillow, a cream colored blanket, and a white pumpkin-shaped pillow.

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How to Make a DIY Plush Pumpkin Pillow

Believe it or not, you can make your own on-trend pumpkin pillow in just half an hour. A little hand sewing, some hot glue, and some filler, and you’ll have a fall decoration in no time. All you need are a few basic supplies to get started.

Materials:

2/3 yard soft fabric
scrap fabric for stem
yarn
Poly Pellets
Poly-Fil
Scissors
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Needle and thread

Instructions:

Cut your main fabric into a 21” circle.

For a larger or smaller pillow, you can adjust the circle size. I chose to use white fabric, but you can certainly use orange…or any other color you like. Mine is Cuddle fabric, because I love the lush texture.

Hand baste around the outside edge of the circle.

To do this, just bring your needle up and down repeatedly until you’ve gotten all the way around.

Pull the thread to gather the fabric into a bowl shape. Pour in Poly Pellets.

The more pellets you use, the heavier your pumpkin will be. I filled mine about 1/4 of the way with the pellets before switching to Poly-Fil.

Finish filling the shape with Poly-Fil. Then pull the thread tighter, leaving just a small opening, and tie it off.

You can make your pumpkin as full as you like.

Use yarn to divide the pumpkin into sections.

I placed the yarn under the pillow and pulled it up on both sides, tying it at the top. Then, I wrapped it back around to the bottom to divide it into four sections. I repeated, dividing those sections in half until I had 8 sections.

Image contains a close-up view of the bottom of the pumpkin pillow, showing the way the yarn divides it into 8 sections.

Roll a scrap piece of fabric to form a cone shape, gluing it to secure.

I used a piece of dark brown Cuddle fabric for mine, but you can use any color you like.

Add Poly-Fil inside. Trim to your desired length and hand stitch the top.

I used brown thread so the stitching would blend in and be practically invisible.

Image contains a close-up view of the pumpkin stem, a rolled-up piece of Cuddle fabric that is hand stitched across the top.

Tuck the base of the stem into the opening at the top of the pumpkin and hand stitch or glue in place.

Mine is hand stitched, just right around where the edges of the opening join the stem.

Once your stem is in place, your pillow is ready to display!

Crafting Tips

I recommend using a plush, textured fabric like Cuddle or other fleece. This will give you a soft pillow that looks luxe compared to regular cotton fabric.
If you want to be able to bend and shape your stem, you can add a piece of thick wire inside along with the Poly-Fil.
Try making several pillows in varying colors and sizes, then staging them together in a basket.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make a smaller version of this for on a table or shelf?

Absolutely! Check out my tutorial for creating little plush pumpkins out of fuzzy socks.

How do I cut the fabric into a perfect circle?

Don’t worry, since you’re gathering it up into the pumpkin shape, it’s ok if your circle isn’t 100% perfect! To get it close, though, I recommend either tracing a basket or other round object in your home. Or, you can use the pencil and string method where you create your own compass.

More Fall Projects

If you enjoyed this project, here are some other fall crafts to try!

If you make your own DIY Pumpkin Pillow, or any other fall decor project, I’d love to see how it turns out. Make sure you’re part of the Amy Latta & Friends Facebook Group so you can join our weekly show and tell threads and we can all be inspired. See you there!

DIY Plush Pumpkin Pillow

Make your own pumpkin-shaped pillow just in time for fall!

Author: Amy Latta

Equipment

hot glue gun and glue sticks
sewing needle and thread
scissors

Materials

2/3 yard soft fabric
scrap of fabric for the stem
Poly-Fil
Poly Pellets
yarn

Instructions

Cut your main fabric into a 21” circle.
Hand baste around the outside edge of the circle.
Pull the thread to gather the fabric into a bowl shape. Fill 1/4 full with Poly Pellets.
Finish filling the shape with Poly-Fil. Then pull the thread tighter, leaving just a small opening, and tie it off.
Use yarn to divide the pumpkin into sections.
Roll a scrap piece of fabric to form a cone shape, gluing it to secure.
Add Poly-Fil inside. Trim to your desired length and hand stitch the top.
Tuck the base of the stem into the opening at the top of the pumpkin and hand stitch or glue in place.