How to Make DIY Yarn Ball Pumpkins
Learn how to make DIY yarn ball pumpkins using balloons, yarn, and glue in this fun DIY craft for the fall season! It's the perfect decoration for fall, Thanksgiving, or even for Halloween!
Materials
- Yarn, Twine or String
- Elmers School Glue
- Balloons
- Scissors or Knife
- Ribbon
- Yarn Ball Pumpkin Checklist (find it in the Resource Library here!)
Instructions
- Blow up a balloon to the size you want your finished yarn ball to be.(I blew mine up so it was about 5 inches in diameter.)Mix glue with a little water to make a runny mixture in a bowl.
- Soak yarn, twine, or string in the glue mixture.NOTE: For this tutorial, I cut one long piece of twine (several yards long) and laid it in the glue mixture.Next time, I will cut multiple 1-yard pieces (instead of one long piece of string) so it's easier to wrap later in the project.
- Squeeze excess glue from the string and wrap it around the balloon in different directions.(This is the messy part.)I did it on top of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, but it would have been even better with more newspaper.Once you're done wrapping the yarn around the balloon, tuck the end under another yarn section to anchor it.
- Let them dry completely.Depending on how thick and soaked your string is, as well as the humidity in your house, the drying time may vary.Mine took two full days to dry completely. As they dry, the string will harden and get stiff.After the first day, I turned the balls over so the bottoms could be exposed to air too.
- Once they are completely dry, pop the balloon inside.I used small scissors for this, but a knife would work too.As the balloon starts to deflate, it might pull the yarn in with it and make your ball look shrunken and deformed because glue is sticking to the balloon a bit.Once the balloon is fully deflated and removed, you can gently pop the ball back into its round shape.
- Add ribbon "stems" to complete the pumpkin look.Tie the ribbon around a stiff string section on top of each pumpkin, and trim the ends.
Notes
- You can use any type of string for this project including yarn, twine, cording, thin rope, or bakers twine!
- Use a 50:50 water and glue mixture, or something similar. If you don't dilute the glue enough, it will be too thick to work with. If you dilute it with too much water, the yarn will have a hard time holding its shape around the balloon.
- Lay parchment paper or even better, lots of newspaper, underneath your work area. Or do this project outside so the cleanup is even easier!