Recycled Sweater Pumpkin Patch

 I have always wanted to make pumpkins out of recycled sweaters, and I finally have!

 I watched several blog and YouTube tutorials, and took the best information and directions from each and put myself to the task.

First was to bring myself to sacrifice and cutting still useful sweaters even if they were from the thrift store!  I felt exactly like when I started using old books for projects.

I went to our local thrift store (Wednesday is 25% senior day & also a certain color ticket is 50% off; unfortunately the specials are not combined, but it helps save every penny & made it easy for me to cut sweaters apart), and bought two off white sweaters … off white pumpkins was my theme.

Once I had the two most important supplies for this project, I went to gathered the rest of the supplies from my mini-craft stash here in our summer home (which by the way is getting bigger and bigger every year … of course all hidden under the basement stairs) to decorate pumpkins with.  To stuff the pumpkins I used about 2-3 old pillow stuffing/batting that I was so ready to throw away ... thanks Mom for the tip.  I threw them in the dryer to fluff for 30 minutes.  While in the dryer, I added dryer wool balls with several drops added of Thieves & Lavender Essential Oils to kill germs and odors from pillows.

So over the weekend, I spent making 20 recycled/upcycled sweater pumpkins in different styles!  Besides paying about less than $5 for both sweaters, every thing else I already had: bits & pieces of ribbon, lace, trim, thread, extra crochet flowers and greenish pumpkin leaves I made several years ago, vintage buttons, sequins, yarn, twine, acorns that Hubby collected for me, ric rac, twigs from our back garden trees for pumpkin stems, and more...

Here we go:

 shabby pumpkins which I like to call Gothic pumkins,

 rustic pumpkins,

 more shabby pumpkins,

 super simple country style pumkin,

 even Teddy has his own fallish pumpkin,

 sweet shabby chic pinkish pumpkins for my side of our bedroom, 

 ~Hubby has his side of the bedroom with shelves like mine, but he has books on them~

I can't bring myself to put away my cute Bunny Girl.

more rustic or farmhouse style pumpkins,

 this pumpkin is my TEST PUMPKIN,

cozy farmhouse pumpkins,

and a basket full of the last 5 pumpkins I finished putting together very late last night...phew!!!

Not one thread went to waste.  I used whatever little sweater remnants were left behind to use as stuffing.

As I finished each pumpkin, I would find a place in our home to decorate with; so we have pumpkins everywhere.

As family and friends visit, and if they truly would like to have one, they can pick their favorite to take with them.

Now, I find this funny and would like to share...

These two Gothic pumpkins I placed in Hubby's TV Room because his room is all black leather, black TV, ...  in other words super minimalist.  It has curtains and a wall clock because I wanted to ... so there!  

At first I had placed the pumpkins right next to the TV.  I decided to move them high and away from his reach, just in case he would throw them out the window 😂😂😂   

He's a minimalist you know!!!!

NOTE: most tutorials use rubber bands to gather the bottom of pumpkin.  I did not.  Reason being, that leaving in a desert like I do, rubber bands dry up and break easily after a few months; especially if you store your pumpkins in the garage or attic.  I used twine or thick cotton yarn.