DIY quick & easy 3D Pumpkin stack upcycle, by Chelsey Bowen on YouTube. 7 min 38 s.
- Video length
- 7 min 38 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Wipe the pumpkin stack with a damp cloth and let it dry completely. Dust and grease stop paint and glue from sticking.
Tear the old bedsheet into strips about 2 to 3 cm wide. Tearing leaves soft frayed edges that look better than cut ones.
Paint the pumpkins with a base coat that matches your fabric, usually orange or cream. Two thin coats dry faster and look smoother than one thick coat.
Wrap a fabric strip around the pumpkin and pull it gently into the grooves so it hugs the shape. Overlap the strips slightly as you go.
Glue the loose fabric ends down at the back or base with fabric glue or a dot of hot glue. Press and hold for a few seconds until it sets.
Glue the pumpkins together into a stack, turning each one slightly so the grooves sit at different angles.
Add stems with cinnamon sticks, rolled twine or a fabric scrap, then brush on a thin coat of matte varnish to seal the fabric.
Tips and common mistakes
Test your paint colour on a scrap of the bedsheet first, since fabric soaks up paint and dries darker.
Use thin paint coats and let each one dry, or the fabric will go stiff and lumpy.
Keep hot glue off your fingers by holding the fabric with a wooden stick or the tip of a pencil.
Pale or patterned sheets show glue marks less, so save plain white for painted pumpkins.
Questions
What kind of fabric works best for this?
Old cotton bedsheets, pillowcases and shirt fabric work well because they are thin and easy to wrap. Avoid thick fleece or stretchy jersey, which bulges in the grooves.
Do I need to prime the pumpkin first?
Not always, but a thin base coat of acrylic paint helps the fabric colour read evenly. On shiny plastic or resin, a light sanding first helps the paint grip.
How long does it take to dry?
Acrylic paint is usually touch dry in about 20 minutes and fully dry in an hour. Wait until the glue and varnish are set before stacking the pumpkins.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
