Stuffing the Pumpkin: Place a medium sized ball of polyester fiberfill inside the pumpkin. Using your fingers, make a hole in the middle of the ball and spread the fiberfill out against the sides of the fabric. Add more fiberfill into the hole, and spread that out as well. Continue adding and spreading the fiberfill until the pumpkin is nice and round and moderately stuffed.
Closing the Top: As in the bottom, run a nice even gathering stitch about 3/16" from the top edge of the pumpkin. Draw the thread up, but do not pull it tight. Place a small dab of craft glue onto the stem of your choice of material and place the stem into the hole in the center of the top. Pull the thread tight, but as you do, tuck the raw edge inside so when it is closed, there are no raw edges showing. Sew around once more in the top gathers and then tie the threads off. Seal the fabric and the stem together with a little more craft glue all the way around.
Sectioning the Pumpkin: Complete any embroidery or appliqué on the pumpkin before sectioning. Thread a 5" to 7" doll needle with upholstery thread. Starting at the top right next to the stem at the seam, take a small stitch in the fabric. Bring the needle straight down thru the inside of the pumpkin and out at the center of the gathered hole in the bottom. Bring the thread up and around the outside of the pumpkin and back up to the starting point next to the stem. Take a small stitch. Pull the thread tight enough to indent the side of the pumpkin. While holding the outside thread and the indentation tight with one hand, take another small stitch on top of the previous one to secure the indentation and then tie the thread off. Repeat this procedure four more times evenly spacing around the pumpkin. Adjust the sections, moving the threads and stuffing around for a pleasing pumpkin shape. When finished, you should have a pumpkin with 5 evenly divided "sections". Remember that you are replicating something from nature and it should never be "perfect". If one thread is a little tighter, or one section a little larger, or the pumpkin sits at an angle, so much the better!
Decorating the Pumpkin: To paint the pumpkin, apply 2 coats of acrylic paint in a color (or colors) of your choice. Let dry in between each coat. If you are making a Halloween Pumpkin, draw a Jack O Lantern face to your liking on the pumpkin with a pencil. Paint the features in black. Coat the pumpkin with a coat or two of matte, satin or gloss varnish. If desired, paint the features with a glow in the dark paint, leaving them outlined in black.
Embroider or appliqué a face for Halloween or a Thanksgiving design on the pumpkin before sections are made. Use scraps of decorative fabric or felt and a blanket stitch in matching or contrast embroidery floss. Let your imagination take over!
Add trailing leaves and vines with a thin amount of fiberfill pulled over the pumpkin for Halloween. Add raffia, ribbon, and/or leaves for Fall or Thanksgiving to a solid or print Pumpkin. To attach embellishments, use craft glue or hot glue.
