NEW: beach towel pumpkins!

as August comes to a close in the weirdest way possible

(a hurricane in Southern California? AND an earthquake? okay....)

i am still stretching 'summer' to the very last moment

with this new original pumpkin design...

dare i say 'it's time for beach blanket bingo'??!!

i've noodled the idea of creating pumpkins using colorful beach towels for awhile... 

first i tried to make them the same way i do my famous sweater pumpkins

but towels just don't *squish* like sweaters do - even thin ones.

 i tried a kind of 'gathered' approach - nope. still too bulky.

then one day i was scrolling Instagram,

and right there in front of me was a fantastical, incredible, creative,

 ORIGINAL and colorful new form of art that just blew my mind -

AND solved my pumpkin problem!

continue reading to see what i saw, and how i translated that into pumpkins!

D

first, let's talk about the inspiration - 

because it's important to give credit where credit is due

and to support artists everywhere. we are all connected.

artist Jamie-Lee Garner from Ngarabal country, Australia

is a self-described 'Artist and Glamorous Ratbag' 

 and goes by @jl...gi  on Instagram. PLEASE go visit!!!!

partnering with artist @re.lax-remade, who makes darling bucket hats from towels,

Jamie-Lee buys their fabric scraps - and turns them into THIS AWESOME ART FORM:

(many thanks to Jamie-Lee for permission to share these photos from her Instagram feed

and for her very kind response to my request - she's as incredible as her art!)

Jamie-Lee makes unique raku ceramic vessels, then covers them in those towel scraps,

creating a mosaic effect in bright colors that just beg to be touched and admired.

and they're called 'fluffies' ! to say i am a 'fan' is an understatement.

visit Jamie-Lee's website for more info on purchasing her artwork

as i looked at Jamie-Lee's artistic creations,

i finally figured out HOW to make beach towel pumpkins:

cut the towel fabric into STRIPS and glue them onto a pumpkin.

i had SO much fun making these, and really love the way they look!

the honest truth is that while i would love to be here in my studio

making hundreds of these darling babies to sell to other beach-lovers like me,

my carpal tunnel pain prevents my doing that -

as well as continuing to make my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins for sale -

so instead, i'll share my great idea with you in a tutorial.

i'm beginning my tutorial with the smaller pumpkin.

supplies you will need include:

pumpkins to cover (i re-used pumpkins you've seen on the blog before!)

towels (vintage, thrifted, salvaged, brand new, you choose!) in colors you love

sharp scissors . a sharpie felt pen . tacky glue or a large glue stick

a piece of scrap fabric (or part of a towel you aren't going to use)

top row of photos, from left:

i used a strip of towel fabric that had been cut away from the orange portions

and held it on my chosen pumpkin to figure out the size & shape i needed...

cutting the shape as it was held against the pumpkin to match the curvature. 

then i laid that shape onto the BACK SIDE of the orange towel fabric,

traced it by placing tiny dots with the Sharpie marker to show where to cut.

i used very light pressure when marking the dots,

so the ink would not soak through to the colored, visible side of the towel fabric.

bottom row of photos, from left:

i covered one section and the grooves on either side of it with a glue stick,

then placed the towel fabric strip onto the pumpkin - 

pinching the top of the strip and pushing it gently under the plastic stem using a toothpick.

then i moved from the top to the bottom of the pumpkin,

using both hands to smooth the fabric strip and stretch it as i went.

glue applied to the end of the strip secures it to the bottom of the pumpkin.

i continued this section by section, working around the pumpkin

leaving an uncovered section between each covered one.

then i went back and covered the skipped sections -

on each of those sections, i turned the fabric strip upside down before gluing in place.

this kept the pattern on the fabric from appearing evenly repeated.

I wanted the pumpkin to have the same chunky 'mosaic' look

that the inspiration artwork had - only in a more subdued palette.

the larger pumpkin was covered with a different beach towel,

this one more plush and also more brightly colored.

(i measured and cut sections of the towel fabric to fit this larger pumpkin,

just as i did the smaller one - i'm just not showing that step here.)

top row of photos, from left:

i used a glue stick to secure each fabric strip to the ceramic pumpkin,

and covered every other section - as i did on the smaller pumpkin.

since the stem here has no gap to tuck the top of each strip into,

instead i cut a slightly round inverted shape into the top of each strip

and then pinched a 'pleat' into each one as i was gluing it into position.

this helped create a more interesting and realistic look around the stem.

bottom row of images, from left:

as i worked my way around the pumpkin,

i also flipped the strips upside down for each section

to keep the pattern from repeating itself too closely.

in the end, that attention to detail gave the pumpkins a richer look,

showing off more of the pattern all the way around each pumpkin.

they look soft, plush, and squishy - 

the texture of the towel fabric adds to that illusion.

i just have to say, i LOVE them! i am utterly smitten with these plush babies!

so much so that i made a few MORE of them...

the smallest pumpkins are ceramic taper candle holders,

and the next largest one is another styro pumpkin. all were previously painted yellow.

... and in the process, figured out an easy way to create tiny pumpkin stems, too:

i've used wine corks as 'stems' in these small candle holders before.

this time, i wanted the stems to match the others in the group - 

so i CARVED them into shape! 

a serrated steak knife easily cut the corks on an angle, creating a narrowed 'stem' -

it's a bit like sharpening a pencil with a knife! 

(or am i the oldest person here and the only one who remembers that skill?!)

i left the base of the cork uncarved, so it would fit tightly into the candle holder.

then i cut a thin slice off of the stem top, at an angle, for a more realistic look.

a quick coat of white matte paint finished them off,

and they popped right into position on the pumpkin.

...and though this particular beach towel was MUCH too nice to cut up for pumpkins,

it makes a perfect photo backdrop for my beachy pumpkin family:

i hope you will give this unique project a try...

if you do, and you share them on social media, i'd love to see your versions:

tag me!

@homewardfounddecor on Facebook 

 @debiwardkennedy on Instagram and Pinterest

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