My first October craft project is a crocheted doily covered pumpkin. If you have to ask "Why?", then this project probably isn't for you. The rest of us understand.....
Vintage crocheted doilies are becoming increasingly popular in home decor and craft projects. Bloggers such as Tif Fussell of Dottie Angel are partially responsible for a renewed appreciation in these little symbols of handmade goodness. Although I am capable of making these from scratch, there are so many vintage doilies to be found at estate sales that it makes sense that we can take those and re-purpose them, saving ourselves a lot of time and saving the doilies from mouldering away in a box for years and years.
Besides an assortment of vintage doilies in shades of white, cream, and ecru, you will need the following materials:
Dried real gourds or craft store faux pumpkins and gourds.
Mod Podge for Fabric
Paintbrush or foam brush.
Spray paint in an off-white or ivory. I used Krylon Ivory with a satin finish for my project.
Tin foil and wax paper.
The only prep work I did prior to painting was covering the gourd stems with tin foil:
A couple light coats of paint with drying time in between was adequate to give the pumpkins an even color:
I selected just the right doilies to fit each pumpkin. I cut some of them apart into smaller shapes that were easier to fit onto the pumpkin. For the two small pumpkins, I just used one whole doily which I slipped over the stem to create a slightly different look.
I usually cover my work table with wax paper when I work with Mod Podge. I followed the directions on the bottle when applying the Fabric Mod Podge to the doilies:
After coating one side of the doilies, place them on the pumpkin and tap all the edges down with your fingers. Once the pieces are adhered to the pumpkins, wait for two hours while the initial coat dries. Then a topcoat of Mod Podge can be applied to the entire piece.
I like the way the large pumpkin turned out:
These can be used year after year, from September through November:
If you create something similar, I'd love to see a picture of it! You can send pics to my e-mail at mitziscollectibles@comcast.net
I'm linking to: My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, Centsational Girl, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home , Thrifty Decorating, Somewhat Simple, Primp, Delicate Construction, Very Merry Vintage Style, and FaveCrafts.
