Monday, September 27, 2010

Potato Stamped Fall Pumpkins

I love these fun FALL pumpkins! They are a very "me" version of seasonal decor : neutral, twiggy, linen texture and some blue, just perfect! Once I got the idea into my head I had to dive right into them, and they were SO easy, they took 2 days worth of nap times and some of that was me taking them around the house trying to find the perfect spot and taking pictures. Need the details? Read on.

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I started off with 4 pieces of cotton muslin fabric. I cut 3 pieces at 7" by 15", and the 4th piece slightly larger at 9" by 15." I folded each piece in half and did a simple straight stitch down the side, leaving the top and bottom open. That's right I sewed them on a sewing machine!!! This is a first for me here on Lemon Tree Creations, and I'm really excited about it!! (You'll be seeing a lot more from me and my sewing machine in the future, but more about that later.) Anyway, you could do this part with a glue gun or Heat N Bond as well, but if you have a sewing machine it's just so SO easy.

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Next I pulled out some medium sized red potatoes, my knife and made some little stamps. It was just like the elementary school days, except with slightly more sophisticated designs (as opposed to just circles or whatever we cut out then, although I'm aware that I just used the word "sophisticated" to describe my potato stamp...but moving on...)

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Before I used my stamps on the muslin, I inked them so that I could see where my lines needed to be straightened out, and then trimmed them up until they were just right.

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I also tested out my stamping "technique" with each letter on a fabric scrap before I stamped each pumpkin. I used DecoArt's fabric paint and it gave me perfect and permanent coverage.

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I applied a light layer of paint to each stamp with a foam brush and then stamped it on.

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Some of the letters didn't turn out perfectly, and I decided that this was a perfect opportunity to let my perfectionist tendencies slide and embrace the imperfections. (I also found that dabbing a little paint to fill in the edges didn't ruin the "stamped" look that I was going for, just in case you opt out of that embracing imperfections nonsense.)

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I now had 4 little muslin sacks.

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I turned each sack inside out, threaded a needle, and hand stitched around the top of the fabric. I just wove the fabric onto the needle instead of pulling the thread all the way through at every stitch and was done in a flash. I pulled the string taut to gather the fabric, stuffed the edges inside, and secured it with a few stitches.

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I then turned the sack right side out, filled it with stuffing, and hand stitched the bottom the same as the top. (I am not typically a fan of the time investment of hand sewing, but I sewed and stuffed all 4 of these during 2 Project Runway re-runs, stopping to watch the fashion show and judging, so really it wasn't much time at all.)

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I threaded my needle with a thicker thread (I used cotton twine) to give the pumpkin the tell tale "pumpkin lines" and puckered shape. I pushed the needle through the middle of the pumpkin, from top to the bottom and around the sides about 5-6 times to give the shape I wanted.

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I finished each pumpkin by hot gluing a small twig from my yard in the middle as the stem.

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Don't they look even more fall-ish with a dry cornfield behind them? I think so.

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I can't help but love when I can bring a project from a concept to a finished reality in 2 nap times!! I need more projects like that.

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What do you think? Too neutral or are they fun? Has anyone else potato stamped anything since they were 8 years old or is it just me?

As always, I'll be linking these to some great parties. Check them out here for some incredible seasonal inspiration.

See you next Monday!!


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41 comments:

Patti @ Pandoras Box September 27, 2010 at 6:46 AM  

These are adorable...and they look so simple to do (at least you make it look simple!)

Charity Donovan September 27, 2010 at 7:48 AM  

Very Cute!

Tiffany September 27, 2010 at 8:36 AM  

Erin, those look amazing! Love the neutral seasonal decor! So great! Fantastic job!

Patrice September 27, 2010 at 10:00 AM  

I love these. I had to read it twice, and kept asking myself: "She really sewed that?" Great job!!

Joseph's Grainery Recipes September 27, 2010 at 10:48 AM  

So sweet and I love that it's not orange and black so you can keep it out through November!

The Frosted Gardner September 27, 2010 at 11:23 AM  

These are awesome! I love the soft colors.

Ruffled Feathers September 27, 2010 at 12:46 PM  

Those are great Erin! I love the look of them.

Carol September 27, 2010 at 12:50 PM  

So cute! Love that they are neutral and not necessarily just for Halloween.

Carol
antiquetexan.blogspot.com

The Autocrat: Haley September 27, 2010 at 12:56 PM  

Oh so cute!!

Krystal September 27, 2010 at 3:24 PM  

Those are adorable! I'm with you on the none traditional seasonal colors. I have to mix a little blue with everything!

Dana September 27, 2010 at 10:17 PM  

I think they are fun, fun, fun! I would probably go with a more traditional orange, but your blue is awesome too. Thanks for sharing!!

Heather at Happy Chippy Junk September 28, 2010 at 10:43 AM  

So darling!!!

Elisabeth September 28, 2010 at 2:20 PM  

I love these!!

Linda@Coastal Charm September 28, 2010 at 8:48 PM  

Sooooo super duper CUTE!!!!

Blessings,
Linda

The Cozy Cape September 28, 2010 at 9:27 PM  

OH MY GOSH! I love these!! So adorable. I may have to add this to my weekend craft list. This is adorable.

Now your latest follower.

Okie Chic September 28, 2010 at 9:35 PM  

I love these so much!!! I think I'm going to make them.

Sarah Jones September 29, 2010 at 9:27 AM  

congrats on the sewing project! these are really great!

sarey September 29, 2010 at 1:41 PM  

This would be a fun project for kids learning how to use a sewing machine. Almost instant gratification!

Tony September 29, 2010 at 3:09 PM  

and into the inspiration folder it goes! love it!

Kimra
crafty-cove.blogspot.com

Robin Johnson September 30, 2010 at 10:50 AM  

cute, cute, cute. I love this project!

Katie September 30, 2010 at 10:09 PM  

I really loved these little guys the second they popped up but I thought, uh oh, sewing!!! I'll never be able to make ones that look half as good. So nice to see I totally could do it! I like the neutralness of the colors, soothing! Thanks for sharing with us at A Crafty Soiree! I hope to see you next week too!

Cecily September 30, 2010 at 10:37 PM  

Fabulous! Just gorgeous - love them!

Aaron {the girl with the boy's name} October 1, 2010 at 7:29 AM  

I adore these! I must steal this idea for my house, I hope you understand. :)

Jenn October 1, 2010 at 1:48 PM  

Amazing! I love all the fall colours but sometimes it's nice to have some neutrals!

L Simonson October 1, 2010 at 10:15 PM  

SO cute!!! I haven't made potato stamps in YEARS! Your project turned out great! Thanks SO much for joining in on Thrilling Thursdays @ Paisley Passions. I love to see the creative talent of other fellow bloggers. Hope you to see you again soon :)
~Lori S.
Thrilling Thursdays @Paisley Passions

Amanda October 2, 2010 at 8:31 AM  

I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I linked to this post today from the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip. :)

Your feature will appear in the main Craft Gossip RSS feed, on the main home page and can be found directly here
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/10-creative-pumpkin-ideas/

If you would like a "featured by" button, you can grab one here!
http://homeandgarden.craftgossip.com/grab-a-craft-gossip-button/

Niki Jolene October 2, 2010 at 6:41 PM  

Gorgeous! Simple and I simply love it!

Stop over and check out Free 2 Be Frugal sometime.

Barbara Jean October 3, 2010 at 12:22 AM  

cute cute cute!!!

thanks for showing us how.

blessings

barbara jean

Dee October 3, 2010 at 1:42 AM  

I love your pumpkins, I may give them a go ... i don't have time right now but hopefully before thanksgiving i will!
I love the homespun feel, and i have never done potato stamping so it will be a first for me! :) ( yep seriously) lol

Angie Holden October 3, 2010 at 6:50 PM  

I love these!! Seriously! And I too have never stamped with a potato. Watch out potatoes here I come....

Kara @ Mine for the Making October 3, 2010 at 9:30 PM  

When I saw this photo on MMM linky party, I was thinking "I wonder how she did the letters..." Such a great idea! These are so cute and you make it look so easy! Cant wait to make these!

Midwest Cottage and Finds October 4, 2010 at 8:01 AM  

LOVE these!! I have not stamped with potato since i was a child--thank you for the reminder--and i love the twiggy look also!! great job...thanks for sharing!

Shayna @ Texas Monkey October 4, 2010 at 10:52 AM  

This is amazing just beautiful! I’d love for you to link up with my Pumpkin theme link up party this week.
http://texasmonkey.blogspot.com/2010/10/all-aoubt-you-monday-link-up-party.html

cindy October 4, 2010 at 1:02 PM  

Awesome. Love these and want to try it with my kids!

Anonymous October 4, 2010 at 9:50 PM  

That looks awesome. Im going to make some of these. New follower from Creative Girls, Just Something I whipped Up.

Unknown October 4, 2010 at 10:28 PM  

Gosh, I hate to admit this, but I've never potato-stamped. Different generation, I'm afraid (I'm older, in case you were wondering, heehee).

I totally get the perfectionistic issue. You're preaching to the choir here, but they turned out simply beautiful.

Would love for you to stop by Sunday and link them up to Passion for Paint.

Stacey October 10, 2010 at 8:19 PM  

clickety click click and here I am without knowing how I arrived...but wow do I adore those pumpkins! Wonderful job! Stacey

Abigail Prescott October 10, 2010 at 8:35 PM  

Just darling! Thanks for sharing -- I may just be inspired enough to finally do some fall decorating...

Paulita October 11, 2010 at 7:27 AM  

Great idea ladies. Posted about you this morning

Anonymous October 30, 2010 at 8:48 AM  

Oh they're so beautiful - I like the neutrality, very classy!

Unknown September 8, 2011 at 4:07 PM  

Awesome!!

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