Make darling sock pumpkins in 10 minutes! Perfect for fall or Halloween decor and SO easy to make! You’ll want to make an entire pumpkin patch of sock pumpkins for fall decor this year. This post contains affiliate links.
You might also like our no-sew sock gnomes or our no-sew sock snowmen!
Watch our step by step video!
Easy Sock Pumpkins
I love quick no-sew projects like this! These adorable sock pumpkins come together SO quickly, and while you do need a needle and thread to create the pumpkin shape---it's not hard. Promise. These pumpkins make great gifts and are a fun activity to make with groups. We're making these with our young women's youth group next month. The girls asked to do a Halloween-themed activity so they are going to come in costume and one of the activities will be to make a little pumpkin to take home. I'll have a variety of fall and Halloween-themed socks and they can choose which one they'd like to make!
You can make 2 pumpkins out of each sock so one pair of socks is enough to make 4 pumpkins! The directions are a LITTLE different for the top portion of the sock vs. the bottom portion, but they are both easy to make and turn out darling!
The leaf and stem are made out of felt and hot glued into place, and each pumpkin is filled with rice and polyfil (pillow stuffing). The rice gives them a nice weight and the polyfil makes them a little squishy.
Best Socks for DIY Sock Pumpkins
You can use kids/youth socks, but women's socks are my favorite. They are just the right size to make a 3" pumpkin. I used a combination of patterned crew socks and sweater socks. Just make sure that your socks don't have large knitted holes or else your rice will fall through the holes. Like if you use a chunky cable knit type of sock the holes might be too big.
They stack beautifully and look so cute in a basket or on a mantle. Ready to make your own sock pumpkins? Let’s get started!
Sock Pumpkin Supplies
(scroll to the end for printable instructions)
I'll link to what I used, but this is a great scrap project. Use felt scraps, old socks that you already have, and maybe some filling from a throw pillow that you were planning on getting rid of. These can be as inexpensive as you want them to be!
- sock (I found mine at Target: floral/dots and sweater socks)
- rice*
- polyfil (pillow stuffing)
- hair elastics (rubber band)
- leaf template
- felt for leaf
- felt for stem (cut into 3.5" x .5" strip)
- embroidery thread
- needle
- scissors
- hot glue gun/glue
A note on using rice in craft projects. I've been using rice in my homemade hand warmers, sock pumpkins, sock gnomes, and rice heat packs for YEARS, and not once have I ever had an issue with mice or mold. If you live in an area that is super humid or have a rodent problem where you store your seasonal decor you can use kitty litter or small beads instead of rice.
You don't need to sew the ends closed, simply fill and tie off with hair elastics! I use this method for our fleece bunny and sock gnomes too!
10-Minute Sock Pumpkins Tutorial
Sock Pumpkins
Equipment
- scissors
- measuring tape
- hot glue gun/glue
Materials
- 1 sock
- ¾ cup rice
- small handful pillow stuffing (polyfil)
- small hair elastic
- needle
- embroidery thread 32"
- felt leaf template
- scrap of felt for leaf
- scrap of felt for stem (3.5" x .5")
Instructions
- Cut a crew sock in half, right through the center of the heel. Decide if you'd like to make your sock pumpkin with the top half or the bottom half of the sock then refer to the instructions below.
How to Make a Sock Pumpkin With the Foot of the Sock
- Fill sock with ¾ cup of rice and a small handful of pillow stuffing.
- Tie off with a hair elastic.Note: you can also tie it off with dental floss or yarn.
- Trim ecess sock with scissors.
- Cut a strand of embroidery thread that is 32" long. Thread it through a needle. Tie a knot at the end.Press the sock ball down to squish it down a bit (this makes it easier to insert the needle).Poke the needle through the center of the sock and out the back. Pull until the knot hits. Bring the needle around to the top again, insert through the center and out the back again, then pull the thread TIGHT. You'll notice that you've created one of the pumpkin grooves on the side of the pumpkin.
- Continue this process until you have 6 sections (dimples). NOTE: I highly recommend referring to my step-by-step video for a great visual on how to create the pumpkin sections/shape using the thread.
- When you've completed the previous step, pull the thread tight as you tie a couple of knots on the bottom of the pumpkin. Trim excess thread.
- Hot glue the leaf to the top of the pumpkin.
- Roll the strip of felt up tightly.
- Add a dot of hot glue to secure the end of the felt.
- Glue the felt stem to the top of the pumpkin.
How to Make a Sock Pumpkin with the Top of the Sock
- Turn sock inside out. Tie off the raw end with a hair elastic.
- Turn sock right side out.
- Fill sock with ¾ cup of rice.
- Add a handful of pillow stuffing.
- Tie a hair elasic around the opening a few times to close off sock.At this point the instructions are the same for the top of the sock pumpkin and the foot of the sock pumpkin. Follow steps 4-10 to finish your sock pumpkin.
Mike says
I still can’t find the video—you say it’s playing under the first image—but that is only showing a video on how to make cookies for one minute with nothing after it??? Please clearly have the video.
Brandy says
The video player is embedded under the first image in every post. There isn’t any other way to add it for my site. It’s playing for me right now. If you missed it playing the first time as you scrolled through the post it automatically moves on to a different video. Refresh the page then go directly to the video and it will play the pumpkin one.
Shanele Morin says
How many pumpkins can you make with that bag of stuffing?
Brandy says
I’m not sure. A lot, since they don’t take much stuffing at all!
Amanda says
I realize this post is over a year old…but I’ve tried to watch the video several times…and only get ads. It stops when explaining how to “sew” the pumpkin sections. They are adorable - hope to figure it out! 😍🎃
Brandy says
Hi! That is odd. Is there a button that says “stay”? There should be. It pops up around 30 seconds in asking if you’d like to stay on the video. I’ll look into it. Otherwise, there is a step by step tutorial with photos at the end of the post that you can follow!
Shannon says
I LOVE this project!!! I just don't understand why sometimes I go to the video and it plays and other times all it shows me is ads...so frustrating. But the pumpkins turn out adorable and it is so easy to do! Thank you for the video (when it lets me see it ).
Brandy says
Hi Shannon! That’s odd. It should play one ad then only play the video after that.
Brenda says
May I suggest that embroidery thread or string be used to tie off sock as eventually elasctic's will deteriote over time and pumpkin will loose it's stuffing.
Stephanie says
Love this simple and quick idea for making sock pumpkins! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Brandy says
You’re welcome! 🙂
rochelle says
Hi the only video i can find on this page is for a vampire pumpkin instead of sock pumpkin ??
Brandy says
Hi Rochelle! The sock pumpkin video plays RIGHT under the first image. I just checked and it's playing! 🙂
Merry says
Can you direct me to the video? I do not see a clickable spot to access it. Thanks!
Brandy says
Hi! It plays right under the first image. Check to make sure your browser doesn’t have a pop up blocker on and it should play automatically. 🙂
Merry says
Thank you! The ads were the problem.
Toni says
I LOVE THEM , THANK YOU FOR SHARING THESE WITH US
Linda says
Love this idea will be making these as a craft with the students in the after school program
Valerie says
So cute!! How many strands of embroidery thread did you use?
Brandy says
I used all 6 🙂
SALLY VITIRITTI says
GREAT CRAFTING IDEAS