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Toilet Paper Pumpkins: Easy DIY Fall Decor

How to Shorten a Sweater (without a Serger!)
'80s Maternity Dress Refashion

Anybody else hate spending money on seasonal decor?

I want my house to look cute and cozy for fall, but c’mon…all those fake pumpkins, cornucopias, and decorative gourds add up! And then you have to find a place to store all the stuff when the season is over.

Fortunately, I have discovered a super-easy crafty way to make cute fabric pumpkins with $1 thrifted shirts, a humble roll of toilet paper, and yard trash.

The total cost per pumpkin is about $0.50 (since you can get two pumpkins from each $1 shirt)!

How To Make Toilet Paper Pumpkins

You guys…this is so easy.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Toilet paper rolls: Use double/mega rolls for this project, as they’re wider and more pumpkin-y.
toilet paper roll
Yep. That’s what a roll of toilet paper looks like.
  • Shirts in fall colors: I found these three on the $1 clearance rack at my favorite thrift store.
three orange shirts
Hello fall!

I opted for solid colors in differing textures, but patterned fabrics would work well for this project too!

Because I hate destroying perfectly good clothing, I chose only shirts that were damaged (but still had enough useable fabric for my project).

closeup of hole in sweater
Not very useful as a sweater anymore!
closeup of hole in shirt
Don’t worry! You’re about to be reincarnated!
  • Yard trash: You’ll also need a stick and a leaf for each pumpkin. I plucked these from my Japanese Maple (although they look a little like um…er…something else in this pic…).
sticks and leaves
Nature’s Crafting Supplies

Step 1: Cut out your fabric

You’ll want something close to an 18″x18″ square per pumpkin.

cutting fabric
Snip!

Step 2: Wrap your toilet paper roll in the leftover scraps

This will help give your pumpkin a nice round shape.

wrapping fabric around toilet paper roll
Just like this!

Step 3: Place your toilet paper roll in the center of your fabric square.

Step 4: Starting with a corner, tuck the fabric into the center of the toilet paper roll. Repeat with the other corners.

Floof the fabric as you go to get your desired shape.

tucking fabric into toilet paper roll
Feel free to admire my marital bling!

Step 5: Tuck the stick and leaf into the center of your new fabric pumpkin!

fabric toilet paper pumpkins
So cute!

Aren’t they cute? I really love how these little guys look together with their different textures.

fabric toilet paper pumpkins from overhead
Aerial View

This is such an easy low-cost project! And when you’re done, you can just put your TP away and use the fabric for cleaning rags. No storage needed!

fabric pumpkins on table
So cozy!

And as Mr. Refashionista said, “If there’s another toilet paper shortage, this would be a great way to hide our TP from any houseguests so they can’t steal it.”

Crafty AND survivalist? Win/Win I say!

Cheers!

toilet paper pumpkins before and after
Yield: 1 Fabric Pumpkin

Toilet Paper Pumpkins

toilet paper pumpkins

Use thrift store shirts in fall colors to turn rolls of toilet paper into adorable pumpkins.

Active Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Estimated Cost Less than $5

Materials

  • Toilet paper roll
  • Fall-colored thrifted shirt
  • Small Stick
  • Leaf

Tools

  • Fabric Scissors

Instructions

  1. Cut out your fabric into a roughly 18"x18" square
  2. Wrap the toilet paper in leftover fabric scraps to give it roundness.
  3. Place toilet paper roll in the center of fabric square.
  4. Starting with a corner, tuck the fabric into the center of the toilet paper roll. Repeat with other corners.
  5. Tuck the small stick and leaf into the center of your new fabric pumpkin!

    Notes

    Each fabric pumpkin costs $0.50 to make!

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    Skip to Instructions