Halloween is such a fun holiday when you have small children. My kids have already decided on what they want to be for Halloween. They love dressing up on a daily basis but having a whole holiday dedicated to dressing up and getting candy??? Too much fun! While perusing the Pottery Barn Kids Halloween catalog I saw their chair backers. I thought it would be a fun way to stretch the holiday by placing little notes and treats inside each day. Today I am going to show you how I made the pumpkin one for Isaac.
Supplies:
Liquid Starch
Black, Orange and Green felt
White and Black Embroidery Thread
Hot glue gun or Fabri-Tac
Needle
Scissors
Sew in Snaps
butcher paper
iron
Optional: Silhouette machine and white heat transfer
1. I cut out enough orange felt for the front and back of the pumpkin as well as the chair backer straps. I also cut out green felt for the stem. I immersed the felt in the liquid starch, wrung out the excess and then let it dry outside.
2. Once completely dry I put a press cloth over the felt and ironed them all flat. The stiffened felt helps the pumpkin stay upright once on your chair.
3. I used the PB Kids one for reference and created a pumpkin template and also one for the eyes, nose, mouth and stem on butcher paper. Then using those patterns I cut out two pumpkin pieces and the stem out of the stiffened felt. I cut the nose, mouth and eyes out of unstiffened black felt.
4. I whipped stitched around all the pieces with the correct color of embroidery floss (3 strands). 
5. After all the pieces were stitched I glued them in place with Fabri-Tac.
6. Next I cut a 2 1/2” strip of unstiffened orange felt and whip-stitched that onto the front side of the pumpkin with 3 strands of white embroidery floss. Then I whip-stiched the pumpkin back onto the sides. When you get close to the end you can cut off the excess orange felt and finish whip-stitching along the top of the pumpkin.
7. Since each chair is different you will have to play with what works with your chairs. I cut my straps 2 1/2” wide by 7” long. I whip-stitched those also and glued them to the back of the front of the pumpkin.
8. I sewed the snaps in pace.
9. Then I used my Silhouette Cameo machine to create a personalized name onto vinyl and ironed it onto the front of the pumpkin.
Today was day one of Halloween goodness and my kids are so excited to check out what is in their bags each day.
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Super cute! My youngest would love one of those.
Love, Love, Love. Great tip on using the fabric starch with felt. Thanks!
Love it and can’t wait to make one myself! Any tips on making the pattern for the pumpkin? I seem to be shape challenged when it comes to these things.
Have you made it yet? If not I can scan a copy of mine for you.
such a great idea! I can hardly tell the dif between yours and PB’s. I can’t keep the kids out of the candy right now (nor myself). This would be a good way to give them an allotment of candy each day.
I know what you mean Tracy. I LOVE candy. Thanks for the compliment.
Super cute…can’t wait to make these. Would you be able to email the pumpkin & face template you used? Have some fun Halloween gifts for my girls & this would be perfect to stuff them into. Thanks for sharing your creative & fantastic craftiness!
Love it!!! How dould you not bust out in a grin yourself when you look at it! Thanks for making me smile!
I got a sewing machine this summer and now I think I can make anything, lol. In September, when I saw that same product, I was certain I could make it for my two babes. Alas, I forgot all about them until yesterday. Now, perusing your post, I see I bought all the wrong things, I’ve begun the project in entirely the wrong way, and I don’t have the skills necessary for this. Not to mention my lack of a Sillouhette. I am a little jealous of your abilities and I’ve decided to ignore my own chair backers until after I have a cup of coffee and some chocolate. That’s reasonable, right?
I did names on stockings and other items years ago before Sillouhette machines were around. It just takes a little time and a cheap letter stencil from an office supply store. Back then they had come out with the White Out pens for typing errors and I used that to put the outlines on dark fabrics. I used Magic Markers to do the letter outlines on light fabrics (the only colors then were Black, Red, and Blue). It took a little time but the results were good. Now days there are so many different kinds of fabric and textile paints that the job of names is still easy to do this way. As for the stitching of the pumpkin lines, most programs including MS Paint let you do lines as a dashed line when you draw the item out. Just pin this to the felt and stitch right through in paper on those dashed lines (this is kind of how I taught my daughters to sew) and then pull the paper away. Nothing is impossible if you just decided you really want to do or make something.
HI, great idea! WOuld you be able to send me the pumpkin and the face pattern? Thank you. Sue
Sure email me at infarrantlycreative@gmail.com and I can get it to you.
love this! i’m in the midst of making a few, too, but yours is way cooler with the whip stitching along the face pieces. i didn’t even know that PB made the pumpkin…was just sort of winging it. glad that i stumbled on your post. thanks!
I love the stitching too, but it’s waaay time consuming. In the end I am glad I put in the time though.
I love this amazing job , it seems if you were making 3 or 4 this is the way to go to save $$$ im making my girls some christmas ones asap thanks for the tutorial
Glad you like it. You can definitely save some moolah making them yourself, especially considering personalization costs. I would love to see how yours come out.