Paper Pumpkins tutorial

Materials needed:

4 sheets of double sided paper
6 brads
thread or string
tape runner or glue
crop-a-dile or small hole puncher
pencil or paint brush to curl paper strips

The instructions for all 3 sizes of the pumpkins are the same, the measurements of the paper strips are the only thing that differs. The pattern paper with the stripes is for the curls, stems and leaves, the other 3 are for the pumpkins. It is your choice which paper to use for which size pumpkin.

Step 1

Cutting the paper strips

Large Pumpkin: Cut 12 strips @ 1 inch by 12 inches

Medium Pumpkin: Cut 12 strips @ 1 inch by 10 inches

Small Pumpkin: Cut 12 strips @ 1 inch by 8 inches

From the striped paper cut: 6-9 strips @ 1/4 inch by 12 inches for the paper curls (2-3 per pumpkin)

Cut 1 strip at 2 inches By 12 inches and then cut it into 3 pieces (2 inched by 4 inches) for the stems

Step 2

Assembling the pumpkin (working on the large one)

Stack all 12 strips of paper

Using a crop-a-dile or a small hole punch, punch through the stack,(about 1/4 inch from the top and centered)

Insert a brad through the hole

Separate the strips, alternating which side each strip is moved to.

Pull the ends together and punch a whole through the ends. Make sure you get through all of them. You will notice that the ends are not even so go up far enough that you get all the ends.

Place a brad through the newly created hole, keeping the paper strips in a circle shape

Step 3

Forming the pumpkin

Tie a long piece of thread around the brad on the inside of the pumpkin (see pic)

To give the pumpkin it’s oval shape, slip the ends of the string under the tines of the opposite brad and pull to get the shape you desire

after you get the shape you like, tie off the thread so it will stay

Now you can open up the pumpkin (my example pumpkin is made with only 8 strips of paper, so yours will be fuller)

Step 4

Decoration the pumpkin

Free hand cut a few leaves from your scrap papers and adhere them to the top of the pumpkin. Curl the thin strips of paper around a pencil or thin paint brush

Curls can be twisted and smooshed into a desirable look and the adhered to the top of the pumpkin

Take the 2 by 4 inch strip of green and cut a 1/4 inch fringe along one of the long sides

Shape into a stem and glue closed. Attach to the top, and your done!