Felt Pumpkins

Recently I was perusing some wonderful entries in the blogosphere, and found a post by Nicole on Frontier Dreams about making felted pumpkins.  It's from a magazine called Living Crafts.  The pumpkins looked really neat, and when I was at the co-op the next day, there was the magazine in the checkout line.  I looked at the instructions, and thought I could probably do the project, so the magazine came home with me.  We've never tried felting before, so I had to get the materials for it.  I finally got to a yarn store on Monday.  Annika helped me pick out the colors to use.  Of course, I forgot one crucial ingredient, and had to go again the next day to get it, and then on Tuesday we were able to make the pumpkins.  

We started by rolling the wool roving around a ball.  Then we tied the string around it to make the pumpkin segments and keep it together.  We did the wet felting in the bathtub.
 Next time we felt I think I will use the sink or a washbasin, because it was hard for the kids to bend down and reach into the bathtub.  Annika kept threatening to fall in.  We didn't have a washboard, so I used a broiler pan and a cookie rack.  The broiler pan worked best.  The kids liked playing in the soapy water.  I was having my doubts at this point, because the pumpkins looked like drowned orange hairballs.  But eventually they began to take shape.      

A little rinsing was next, then forming the stem.  We put the pumpkins in the dryer for a few minutes, then took them out when they were mostly dry.  They turned out a little lumpy, but the are cute.  We cut the tops off and I sewed the stems on.  They now reside in a place of honor on the dining room table.

Gabriel took his pumpkin to school on Wednesday, and I heard that it was a hit.  All the kids were entranced by it, and kept asking how it was made.  I think more felt crafts are in our future!