How to Make Halloween Pumpkin Dolls
I saw this project on YouTube and just had to make them for you. I contacted the designer, Patti Good and asked if I could replicate the project and she was gracious enough to allow me to do it. Her video of the project will be added to the end of this post. These little dolls are just so cute and perfect for the Halloween season. They are surprisingly easy to make though there are a few steps. If you would like more holiday projects head over to my holiday project vault and check them all out.
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What you will Need: How to Make Halloween Pumpkin Dolls
- Small Plastic Pumpkins
- Small doll tennis shoes
- Orange paint if necessary (Optional)
- Dollar Tree Pool Noodle
- Hair
- Hand mold
- Soft oven dry polymer clay
- Old jeans
- Halloween fabric
- 4 1 1/2″ Wine Corks
- 2 dowels or Dollar Tree skewers
- 4 metal nuts
- Polyester fiberfill
- Hot Glue
- e6000 glue
- Black Felt
- Wire
- Wood branch piece
- 2 pipe cleaners
Step 1: Put a Hole in the Corks
Using a drill place a hole in the center of each of the corks. The corks that I used were a little bigger Than the ones she used so I cut the cork that was inside the shoes 1/2″ shorter.
Step 2: Prepare the Pumpkin Doll Shoes
I really wanted orange shoes but they were out of stock so I got some white shoes and painted them orange. If you need to paint yours make sure they dry completely. Place the metal nuts in the shoes toward the toe. Hot glue two of the corks to the back of the shoes and stuff a little fiberfill to fill the shoes. Tie the shoes.
Step 3: Add the Remaining Two Corks
Place the dowel all the way through one of the corks and into the corks that are hot glued into the shoes. Add a little hot glue to the holes to help secure. The corks, shoes and the dowel should measure a little less than 6″.
Step 4: Create the Jeans
Cutting from the bottom of an old pair of jeans cut two pieces that measure 2 3/4″ x 4 1/2″. Fold one 2 3/4″ end and hot glue. Wrap the jeans around the corks and hot glue closed. Repeat for the second shoe. Clip around the top of the jeans and hot glue to the top of the cork.
Step 5: Create the Pumpkin Doll Body
Cut a poole noodle so it measures 2 1/2″. Using an awl place two holes on either side of the large hole in the center. Place a small amount of hot glue along the top of the corks and along the dowels. Place the pool noodle onto the dowels in the shoes.
Step 6: Create the Shirt
Cut out a piece of Halloween Fabric that measures 8 1/2″ x 4″. Fold over one long edge and one short edge and hot glue. Wrap it around the body and hot glue the ends. Fold the remainder over the top of the pool noodle and hot glue.
Step 7: Add a Felt Circle
Cut a 2 1/4″ circle of black felt. Hot glue the circle to the top of the pool noodle.
Step 8: Add the Pumpkin Doll Head
Remove the handles from the pumpkin head. Place some e6000 and hot glue onto the bottom of the pumpkin head. Glue it to the felt circle.
Step 9: Create the Hands
Using the soft clay place a small amount into the hand mold following the manufacturer’s instruction. Put the fingers in first then smooth out. Remove the hands from the mold. Shape the hands around the pumpkin head. Place a 6″ piece of wire into the bottom of the hands. Bake the hands for 25 minutes at 275 degrees.
Step 10: Create and Add the Hat
Place a pool noodle in the head. Cut the noodle so that it is even around the top of the head. Then, cut out a circle from the black felt making sure the circle is curvy like a cloud. Cut a small circle in the center. Add the small stick into the small circle.
Step 11: Add the Hair
Cut out the shape of the hat from the hair adding about 1/4″. Cut just through the back of the faux fur and not through the hair. Comb out the hair.
Step 12: Finish the Head
Glue the pool noodle inside the head in the center. Add the hat and the stem using hot glue to the top of the head. Hot glue the stick into the hole of the hat. Cut the hair in half. Place the first half on the hat facing the front and the second half toward the back. Hot glue in place.
Step 13: Add the Arms
Using an Awl come down 1/2″ from the pumpkin head and poke a hole through the shirt on each side. Cut the wire so that the hands can grasp the side of the face. Make sure the thumbs are facing forward.
Step 14: Add the Sleeves
Take a pipe cleaner and fold it in fours. Trim the pipe cleaners to 2 1/4″. Place the wire of the arm into the pipe cleaner all the way to the hand and hot glue. Cut two pieces of fabric that measure 3 1/4″ x 2 7/8″. Hem one short side by hot gluing, Then glue the long sides right sides together. Turn right sides out. Hot glue the bottom of the sleeve to the edge of the hand. Bunch the remaining fabric around the wire and hot glue together.
Step 15: Add the Arms
Insert the arms into the hole on the sides that you previously created hot gluing the arm to the side. Make sure the arms are tight. I hot glued the hands to the face so that they would stay where I wanted them. Bend the arms into position so that the hands are around the face. You have now finished your Halloween Pumpkin Doll.
If you would like to see a video of this project check out Patti Good’s YouTube video below.
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