Maybe NOT!

 So with all of my autumn done I had planned to head outside today but, the heat indices are off the charts and I am just not ready to battle that kind of heat so....it was time to try my hand at a sample Halloween pillow so the girls could decide if it is something they would want to try.

At this point, I am guessing PRPBABLY NOT! Lol Of course, they might be braver than I am but I am so glad I decided to make a sample before we just dove into something that looks to be a simple project. And, it kind of is but it is very time consuming. And, I must say, I have learned some things along the way. Maybe they can benefit from my mistakes and they would have an easier time.

Since everything needs to be stitched before the pillow pieces go together I started by cutting a 19"X19" piece of the drop cloth. With 1/2" seams the pillow will be 18"X18" which is usually my go-to size for a throw pillow.

I actually got out my iron because this fabric is VERY wrinkled and Wrinkle Release doesn't help at all-ask me how I know. Lol

Then I decided to paint the stripes like on my inspiration photo. Luckily I am OK with "rustic" because I almost threw this out and started over without stripes. I put down a strip of masking tape and tried to paint a thin black strip on either side of the tape. I mixed acrylic with fabric medium but it still wasn't all that "flowable" and the brush caught on the nubs of the fabric often and made for wobbly lines.

Then, I pulled up the tape and tried to paint a thicker stripe in the middle of the two thinner ones. Again, good thing I'm OK with messy rustic. Lol

I knew when I grabbed these fabrics at Walmart that the orange was too bright but it was all that they had and I wasn't interested in heading to HL. I was pretty sure that I would be coffee staining this so I figured I could knock down some of that "bright".

I do love the way the raw edge frays. This is just what we need for this project.

I probably should have just drawn my own face but I decided to stay true to the inspiration instead. I cut out what I thought would be the right sized pumpkin pattern although when all was said and done, I wish I had gone smaller. This guy is just too "in your face" for my liking but it is too late now.

I cut out face pieces and moved them around until I was OK with them.

Then I traced them onto the fabric pumpkin front. I had planned to just use a piece of black fabric large enough to go under the face but I realized that if I was to do that, that black patch would show through the orange so I had to cut an entire black pumpkin piece for the backing.

Then I just stitched on the drawn lines. That part is pretty easy although the straight lines are definitely easier than the ovals. I should have just gone with the traditional triangle eyes as well as the nose and this part would have really been a snap!

All sewn. I used really small stitches to make turning a bit easier.

Then, being careful not to cut through both layers, I simply cut away a bit of the features. I left enough fabric so that even when these areas do fray a bit, the seams won't be compromised. And, it needs to be frayed. That is part of its look but I am guessing that the more I keep messing with it, the more it will fray. Fingers crossed.

Once that was all done I sewed the whole pumpkin onto the pillow front and gave it all a shot of the coffee stain.

And this is where I am right now. I'm waiting for it all to dry. The orange definitely got knocked back a bit but the drop cloth just isn't really accepting the stain. I tried it on a small spot and it seemed as if it would work but since I am now spraying it instead of "painting" on the stain, it really doesn't look all that different. I have got a few things to do before calling it a day so I am going to stop here and I will decide tomorrow what the next step might be.

I will say once again, I think the pumpkin is too large but we shall see after it is all put together.

I really don't think the girls will want to tackle that one but I also have the supplies for these:

Either of these would be so much easier and, since I still have so much of the drop cloth left, I might try a sample of each of these tomorrow. I'll let you know but until then, stay safe and stay tuned.