This black-draped pumpkin is reminiscent of the peculiar artistic stylings of Edward Gorey… or maybe Charles Addams.
You’ll need:
- A pumpkin, preferably one with a long, twisty stem
- Black stretch fabric with a lacy design (about 3/8 of a yard)
- Black glittered bird (I got mine on sale at my local Michael’s)
- Black artificial roses (again a Michael’s purchase — one long-stemmed single rose and a three-rose spray)
- Black glitter-glue
- Needle and black thread
- Some fabric for underneath the pumpkin– I used a shimmery champagne-colored sheer, but you could also use tulle or velvet in a deep red or purple.
Step 1. Glitter the stem.
Start by applying the glitter-glue to the stem of the pumpkin, so it will have time to dry. If you use a paint brush llike I did, wash it carefully afterwards AND be careful not to get glitter down the drain.
Step 2. Wrap the pumpkin.
If you have a very small pumpkin, you can use a lace stocking instead of buying fabric. I bought my fabric at Hancock’s (on sale with other Halloween costume fabrics.) Make sure it is stretchy.
Loosely wrap the fabric around the pumpkin, to measure how much you’ll need, and then cut it to the right size. Unless you are using a stocking, the first thing you need to do is create a tube shape. By hand, baste or sew the two far ends of the fabric together, to create a tube that fits around the pumpkin. This stitch work doesn’t have to be tiny or beautiful — it won’t show much. Take care NOT to gather the fabric — you want a flat seam here. Tie it off and cut the thread when you finish the seam.
Next, stitch all around one open end of the tube, about half an inch from the edge. This time, you DO want to gather the fabric. Pull on the thread to gather it, tucking the raw edges in toward the inside of the tube. Tie off the thread and cut it.
Set the bottom of the pumpkin on the gathered fabric and pull the open end of the tube upward toward the stem. The black lacy fabric should now be completely encircling the orange part of the pumpkin. Stitch around this last open edge of the tube, similar to the way you did the bottom of the pumpkin, gathering it up around the stem as you go. Knot the thread and cut it.
Step 3: Assemble everything.
First, arrange your base fabric (the shimmery champagne-colored sheer in my version). Tuck any raw edges underneath, out of sight.
Lay the single long-stemmed black rose to the left of the pumpkin. Set the black bird (raven?) next to it.
Take apart the other multi-rose stem, so that you have three separate flowers and several groups of leaves. Arrange two flowers and some leaves on top of the pumpkin to the right side of the stem. Put the last flower and the remaining leaves near the raven.
Have a spooky (or Goth?) Halloween!
