Add some Halloween spirit to your table or office desk with a colourful little needle felted pumpkin with curly stems.

A great felting project for beginners.

Supplies

Felting needles
Felting mat, I used a sponge
Core wool or leftover wool scraps
White wool roving
2 Bamboo skewers
Wool Roving in the colors you want:
an orange wool to your liking
2 shades of green wool, I used Moss Green and a light shade
brown wool, you can use 1 or 2 shades

Step 1: Create the Core

Take the core wool or scraps and make a small ball - a bit bigger then what you want for your finished pumpkin to be.

Stab the ball with the needle many times around until it is a smooth round ball.

Don't make the wool ball too tight, it will make adding more wool onto it in much harder.

BE CAREFUL! watch your fingers and don't bend the needle, it can break easily.

Step 2: Make a Nicer Shape

Wrap the core with the softer white wool and stab the added layer lightly until you get a smooth round ball.

Make sure to keep the wool airy and not tighten it to much.

Step 3: Add Base Color

Take a small bit of the orange wool (or any other color you chose) and start poking it with the needle to cover the white ball.

Keep coating the ball with bits of colored wool and poking with the needle lightly until the entire ball is covered.

The colored layer shouldn't be too thick, just enough to hide the white wool underneath.

Step 4: Adding Segments

Take the green wool and separate a few thin strands from it.

Stretch one strand of wool from the top of your pumpkin to it's bottom to create a line and secure it to both side by stabbing it lightly with the needle.

Poke the wool along the line you created to make an indent and shape your pumpkin.

Repeat this process 5 more times around of the pumpkin to create 6 segments.

Step 5: Add the Stem

Take a bit of brown wool and role it into a cylinder to make the pumpkin's stem.

Poke the cylinder on one end to tighten in and leave the other end loose.

Make a small indent on the top of the stem to make it look more natural.

Attach the loos end of the stem to the pumpkin and secure it with the needle.

Step 6: Make Curly Stems

Take some green wool and make long thin strands.

Role each strand around a skewer and pour hot tap water (or even boiling water) on it until it's soaked.

Make sure the strands don't unwind when you pour the water.

Place the skewers in the sun until it dries completely (you can also use an oven on a the lowest setting)

Step 7: Finishing Touches

Attach the curls to the top of the pumpkin near the stem with the needle.

Bend the curls downwards to give them a more natural shape. secure them in place by poking with the needle in between the curl's ringlets (so not to damage their shape).

You can add more curls using other colors or even an already curled wool (as seen in the picture).

Step 8: Your Done!

And here you have your pretty little felt pumpkin.

You can make different types and shapes of pumpkins using the same technique, and create a bigger pumpkin arrangement.

When making smaller pumpkins it's better not to use a core, just start with a ball of colored wool and add on to it.

Introduction: How to Needle Felt a Curly Stem Pumpkin