6 Pumpkin Quilt Patterns and Projects with Free Tutorials
⚡ Quick Answer
- Missouri Star has six free video tutorials for pumpkin quilts and projects, from a beginner table runner to a full appliqué quilt.
- Nearly all of them start with a layer cake (10" squares) — one pack plus background fabric is the usual shopping list.
- Fastest finish: the Hexagon Pumpkin Table Runner. Biggest impact: the Stargazer Pumpkin quilt.
- Pumpkin projects stay up from September through Thanksgiving, so they earn far more display time than Halloween-only decor.
- Every tutorial is free to watch; written patterns are sold separately where noted.
Pumpkins are the most forgiving fall motif there is. They do not need to be symmetrical, they do not need to be the same size, and nobody has ever looked at a quilt and said a pumpkin was the wrong shade of orange. That makes them ideal for using up scraps and trying appliqué with little risk.
They also have the longest season of any autumn motif. A pumpkin runner goes on the table in early September and stays there until the Thanksgiving dishes are cleared — roughly three months of use out of one weekend project.
- ➤Start with a layer cake — 10" squares are the backbone of nearly every pumpkin project we teach.
- ➤Appliqué is easier here than anywhere — an uneven pumpkin still reads as a pumpkin.
- ➤Scale to your time — a runner is an afternoon, a full quilt is a weekend or two.
- ➤Orange is optional — batiks, low-volume prints and even blues make pumpkins that feel modern.
6 Pumpkin Projects With Free Video Tutorials
Fastest finish
Hexagon Pumpkin Table Runner
Three packs of 10" squares become a hexagon runner. The quickest way to get a pumpkin on the table. See the tutorial
Layer cake quilt
Peek-A-Boo Pumpkin Quilt
Two layer cakes, plus binding and backing — pumpkins that appear out of the patchwork. See the tutorial
Biggest impact
Stargazer Pumpkin Quilt
A star-pieced pumpkin with fusible appliqué detail. The showpiece of the group. See the tutorial
Sashed and bordered
Hello Pumpkin Quilt
One layer cake with sashing and an outer border — a classic bed-or-couch size finish. See the tutorial
Jelly roll
Pumpkin Spice Quilt
Built from 2.5" strips instead of squares — the one to make if your stash is jelly rolls. See the tutorial
Small space
Peek-A-Boo Pumpkin Wall Hanging
One pack of 10" squares, half a yard of binding. Wall-sized, so it finishes fast. See the tutorial
💡 Pro Tip: If you want pumpkins that do not shout Halloween, swap the classic orange for rust, gold and deep plum, and use a low-volume background instead of black. The same pattern will then sit happily on the table through Thanksgiving.
How Much Fabric You Actually Need
These are the supply lists from the tutorials themselves, so you can price a project before you start:
| Project | Main fabric | Also needed |
|---|---|---|
| Hexagon Pumpkin Table Runner | 3 packs of 10" squares | Backing and binding |
| Peek-A-Boo Pumpkin Quilt | 2 packs of 10" squares | ¾ yd binding, 5¼ yd backing |
| Hello Pumpkin Quilt | 1 pack of 10" squares | 2¾ yd background, 1¼ yd outer border, ¾ yd binding, 5 yd backing |
| Stargazer Pumpkin Quilt | 1 pack of 10" squares | 4¼ yd background, 1¼ yd border, ¾ yd binding, 4¾ yd backing, fusible adhesive |
| Pumpkin Spice Quilt | 1 pack of 2.5" strips | ¼ yd green print, 2¾ yd background, 1¼ yd border, ¾ yd binding, 5 yd backing |
| Peek-A-Boo Pumpkin Wall Hanging | 1 pack of 10" squares | ½ yd binding, 1¼ yd backing |
Shop the precuts these projects call for: 10" squares (layer cakes) and 2.5" strips (jelly rolls), or browse all fall precuts. If you are going spooky rather than harvest, our Halloween fabric collections have the prints for it.
Which Pumpkin Project Should You Make?
- •You have one afternoon — Hexagon Pumpkin Table Runner.
- •You have a layer cake and no plan — Peek-A-Boo Pumpkin.
- •You want people to ask about it — Stargazer Pumpkin.
- •You want to try fusible appliqué — Stargazer Pumpkin or Hello Pumpkin.
- •You only have wall space — Peek-A-Boo Pumpkin Wall Hanging.
- •You would rather crochet — Easy Crochet Pumpkins with Sara Delaney.
Keep Going With Fall
- •20 Fall Quilt Projects: Table Runners, Leaf Quilts & More — the full seasonal round-up
- •Top 5 Fall Fabric Collections for 2026 — where to find the right oranges
- •Shop Fall Fabric by the Yard — pumpkin, rust and gold prints for backgrounds and borders
- •10 Halloween Quilting and Embroidery Projects — if you want spooky instead of harvest
- •10 Christmas & Holiday Table Runner Patterns — what goes on the table next
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest pumpkin quilt project for a beginner?
The Hexagon Pumpkin Table Runner. It is small, it uses precut 10" squares so there is very little cutting, and a runner does not need to be quilted heavily to look finished.
Do I need a pattern, or is the video enough?
The video tutorials are free and complete. Where a written pattern exists it is sold separately — the tutorial page will say so.
What size precut do pumpkin quilts use?
Almost all of ours start with 10" squares (layer cakes). Pumpkin Spice is the exception and uses 2.5" strips.
Can I make a pumpkin quilt without appliqué?
Yes. Peek-A-Boo Pumpkin and the hexagon runner are pieced, not appliquéd. Stargazer and Hello Pumpkin use fusible appliqué for the stems and details.
How long does a pumpkin quilt take?
A table runner or wall hanging is realistically an afternoon or an evening. A full-size quilt top is a weekend of steady sewing, plus quilting and binding.
What colors work if I don't want orange?
Rust, gold, plum and even teal all read as pumpkins once the shape is right. Batiks are especially good because the mottling suggests the ridges of a real pumpkin.