If you’re looking for a fun little fall sewing project, this pumpkin pot holder is such a cute one to make!
It’s beginner-friendly, doesn’t require a ton of fabric, and it’s also a fun project for quilters who want to use some of their favorite scraps.
For this one, I used a lovely jelly roll and charm pack, which made choosing the fabrics so much easier.
I got to mix all those pretty fall colors and prints together without digging too far into my stash.
And the best part? This is a free sewing pattern and tutorial! So grab your favorite fall fabrics, your sewing machine, and let’s make a little pumpkin for the kitchen.
NOTE: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase using one of the links in this article, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you (To know more about this, click here.)
About This Pumpkin Pot Holder Pattern
I’m giving you a free pumpkin pot holder pattern so you can make the cutest little pumpkin for your kitchen this fall!
The free PDF Sewing Pattern comes as a PDF file you can print at home, and you can get it by signing up at the end of the post.
What makes this pumpkin sewing project special is that you can really make it your own.
I used a lovely jelly roll and charm pack for mine, mixing different prints to give the pumpkin a fun patchwork look.
It’s also a great way to use those smaller pieces of fabric that are too pretty to throw away.
This is definitely a fall sewing project, but you don’t have to wait until Halloween to make it. The pumpkin shape works beautifully as fall kitchen decor all season long.
And if you want to give yours a little Halloween personality, you absolutely can!
You can add a pumpkin face template to turn your pot holder into a jack-o’-lantern, just like I did with my Halloween pillows.
A cute little face can completely change the look, so you can make yours sweet, spooky, or keep it as a simple pumpkin for Thanksgiving and all of fall.
Best Fabrics for a Pot Holder
For this pumpkin pot holder, I recommend using 100% cotton fabric. Quilting cotton works especially well, and it’s perfect if you want to use a charm pack, jelly roll, or fabric scraps.
For the inside, use a heat-resistant batting or insulated layer made specifically for pot holders.
This is important because regular cotton batting alone is not designed to provide the same level of heat protection. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the specific heat-resistant material you choose.
How to Make a Pumpkin Pot Holder
1. Download the Free Pumpkin Pot Holder Pattern
The first thing you’ll need to do is download your free sewing pattern.
Print it at 100% or real size. To get your copy, simply fill out the form at the end of this post, and the download will be sent instantly to the email address you provide.
Once you have your pattern ready, we can start putting our pumpkin together!
2. Make Your Quilted Fabric Canvas
Before cutting out the pumpkin pieces, we’re going to make our own quilted fabric canvas.
For mine, I used a lovely jelly roll charm pack and wanted the strips on my pumpkin to run vertically with a slight inclination.
I used about five jelly roll strips, but only about half the length of each one.
That was more than enough fabric to cut all three pieces from the pumpkin pattern.
Place the strips right sides together and sew them using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. After sewing each seam, press the seams open.
Once you have all your strips joined together, you’ll have a cute little patchwork fabric panel that is large enough to cut your pumpkin pieces from.
I really love doing this with jelly rolls because you get a mix of coordinated fabrics without spending forever deciding which prints go together.
And, of course, you can always make your own combination with fabric scraps if that’s what you have on hand. Try making a Crumb Quilt with any of your fabric scraps!
3. Sandwich the Fabric Layers
Once your main fabric canvas is ready, we’re going to turn it into a quilted piece by sandwiching it with the lining fabric and heat-resistant batting.
For this part, you’ll need three layers:
- Your lining fabric
- Your heat-resistant batting
- Your pieced main fabric
Start by placing the lining fabric with the wrong side facing up. Then place the heat-resistant batting on top. Finally, place your quilted fabric canvas on top, making sure the right side of the fabric is facing up.
Now you need to hold all three layers together before quilting them.
You can pin the entire area together, but I did something a little different. I used repositionable spray glue between each layer to hold everything in place.
I have tried pins, clips, and tacks for quilting projects, and honestly, I’ve found that using repositionable spray glue gives me much better results. It keeps the layers from shifting around while I’m sewing, without having pins getting in the way.
Just make sure you’re using a spray adhesive that is appropriate for fabric and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Mark Your Quilting Lines
Once all your layers are secured, it’s time to mark the quilting lines.
For this, you can use your favorite fabric marker. In my case, I’m using my favorite one: soap.
First, draw vertical lines between the sections of your fabric strips, right in between the seams.
Then turn your piece about 45 degrees and draw another set of lines going across the first ones to create a simple grid.
I made my lines about 1 inch apart from each other.
You don’t have to make your grid exactly like mine, though. You can adjust the spacing or even choose a completely different quilting design if you want to.
5. Quilt the Fabric
Now take the whole piece to your sewing machine and quilt all three layers together using a straight stitch.
For mine, I used a stitch length of about 3.5 mm.
Take your time while quilting, especially if you’re working with several layers.
The goal is to keep everything nice and flat, so your finished pumpkin has a neat, even shape.
6. Cut Out the Pumpkin Pattern Pieces
Once the entire piece is quilted, you can finally cut out your pumpkin pattern pieces.
I like to cut my pattern pieces after quilting instead of cutting them first. The reason is that fabric can sometimes shrink or shift a little while you’re quilting it.
By quilting first and cutting afterward, you can make sure your pumpkin shapes are nice and sharp and match the exact measurements of the pattern.
This little step makes a bigger difference than you might think!
7. Prepare the Back Pieces
Now we’re going to start working on the back of our pumpkin pot holder.
The back is made from two pieces with an opening in the middle where your hand will go.
Take some bias tape and sew it along the curved inner edges of both back pieces. This will finish the opening and give it a nice, clean edge.
Take your time around the curves so the bias tape lays smoothly.
8. Assemble the Pumpkin
Next, place the two finished back pieces over the back side of your main pumpkin piece.
Make sure the lining sides are facing each other, and the outer fabric sides are facing outward.
Pin everything around the edges to keep the layers in place.
At this point, you can also sew a temporary stay stitch about 1/8 inch from the edge around the entire pumpkin. I like doing this because it keeps all the layers together and makes applying the bias binding much easier.
9. Apply the Bias Binding
Now comes the part that really starts making this look like a pumpkin!
We’re going to apply bias tape around the entire outer edge of the pumpkin.
Start about 1 inch to the left of the center top of the pumpkin and sew the bias tape all the way around the edge.
As you go around the pumpkin, pay special attention to the inner corners between each section of the pumpkin. You want these corners to stay nice and sharp so the finished pumpkin keeps its shape.
If you need a little help getting those inner bias-binding corners looking nice and neat, I have a quick video showing you how I make my inner bias-binding corners.
When you reach the top of the pumpkin again, continue sewing past your starting point by about 1/2 inch. This will cover the raw end of the bias tape where you originally started.
Keep sewing the bias tape a little farther, but this time let it extend beyond the pumpkin instead of cutting it off.
And here comes one of my favorite little details: don’t cut the bias tape yet!
Continue sewing a long tail of bias tape without stopping your seam. Your finished tail should be about 12 inches long.
This tail will become the stem and hanging loop for your pumpkin.
10. Make the Pumpkin Stem and Hanging Loop
Once you have your long bias tape tail, make a small fold at the very end of the tape.
Then place it behind the pumpkin pot holder, right where the bias tape finishes around the pumpkin.
I folded and positioned mine at approximately a 45-degree angle. You don’t want the tape to hang perfectly straight up from the pumpkin. Tilting it slightly gives the stem a much more natural, organic look.
You’ll also have the loose sections of bias tape that will become both the pumpkin stem and the hanging loop.
Arrange them until you like the way they look. This part doesn’t have to be perfectly precise—I actually think the slightly relaxed shape is what makes the little pumpkin look more natural.
Once you’re happy with the placement, sew everything securely in place with a stay stitch using your sewing machine.
And that’s it!
You now have a beautiful pumpkin pot holder ready for your fall kitchen decor. I love how the patchwork fabric makes every pumpkin a little different, and you can have so much fun choosing the fabrics for yours.
And if you want to turn yours into a Halloween pumpkin, you can always add a cute pumpkin face, too!
Just like I did here on my pillow using my Pumpkin Face Stencil.
Oh, and if you want to know what I made with the leftover quilted fabric scraps from this project, make sure you come back next week because I’m planning something so cute for Halloween.
Pumpkin Pot Holder PDF Download
Hey there! Want this amazing free download? Just pop your name and email into the form below, and we’ll send it your way. Oh, and remember to check your promo or spam folders in case the email takes a detour there by mistake. If it does, just nudge it into your main inbox so you don’t miss any more freebies from us!
Don’t see the form? Disable your ad blocker and refresh the page!
*NOTE: Free Patterns still take so much time and resources to make. Before you go, say thanks by pinning this post on Pinterest to help me grow this page!*
