Looking for a different and (VERY) pretty way to carve your pumpkins this year? Look no further than a bit of yarn, a needle, and paint. Embroidered pumpkins have everything we love about carving, and the criss-crossing strings add a nice graphic punch to the mix. Using yarn and a simple pattern, you don’t even need to be a seamstress to get this gorgeous sewn look on your doorstep this fall.

To make pretty embroidered pumpkins, spray paint pumpkins and allow them to fully dry. Cut out the top lid and scoop out all the the seeds. Mark a pattern on each pumpkin in pen – this can be as simple as a circle with dots around the edge or even a crisscross pattern across the front. Drill holes and/or cut out the front circle.

When the holes are ready, begin threading the yarn onto knitting needle and cross stitch the pattern on the pumpkin. Add a tea light inside the pumpkin for a dotted and bright lantern. To prevent the pretty pumpkins from rotting simply rub Vaseline around the dots and cuts for a display that will last all season long.

Project and photography by Tina Fussell for A Subtle Revelry.