Autumn always inspires me. There’s something deeply beautiful about its warm colours, slower days, and the quiet joy of creating with our hands.
To this project, I wanted to bring all those elements together(nature, craft, and the spirit of the season) by dyeing wool with natural pigments and turning it into mini decorative pumpkins. It’s a simple, eco-friendly autumn DIY, filled with the kind of poetry that often appears when we turn to nature. Perfect for adding a cosy touch to your home.
WHAT YOU NEED:
- Carrots: I used them as a natural pigment to achieve warm, luminous shades between yellow and orange — so typical of autumn.
But you can experiment with other natural dyes too: onion skins create deeper oranges, paprika gives bright tones, and turmeric results in a strong yellow.
In this case, I chose carrots as a way to make use of their peels. - White wool: It must be natural wool (synthetic fibres won’t absorb the pigment).
- Toilet paper rolls
- Small twigs
- Vinegar
- Vegetable peeler
- Saucepan and wooden spoon
- Fine sieve
- Scissors
Note: The photos in this post aren’t exactly what I had planned! While recording the process for an Instagram reel, I forgot to take separate pictures of each step. So these are actually screenshots from the video. Even without perfect sharpness, I wanted to include them so you can better visualise the process.
HOW TO MAKE:
Peel the carrots carefully. The peels are where most of the colour is hidden: they’ll be the base of the pigment.
Boil the peels. Place them in a saucepan with enough water to cover them well. Boil over medium heat for at least 40 to 50 minutes, until the water turns a rich orange shade.
Strain the pigment. When the colour looks right, strain the liquid through a fine sieve to remove the peels, keeping only the dye.
Dye the wool. Place the wool into the saucepan with the pigment and add a splash of white vinegar (about one tablespoon per litre of water). Vinegar helps fix the colour.
Bring it back to the boil and let it simmer for at least one hour, stirring occasionally.
In my case, it took much longer than expected. I needed patience to watch the colour slowly appear.
Remove the wool, squeeze out the excess liquid, and leave it to dry in the sun for a few hours. This is when the final tone appears: a bit unpredictable, like everything that comes from nature.
Cut a toilet paper roll slightly longer than halfway, then make small cuts along the edges. Fold and close them to form a round base.
Wrap the dyed wool around it, passing it in and out through the opening until it takes on the shape of a pumpkin.
Finally, add a small twig on top for the stem.
I like to think that when we reuse materials and work with natural pigments, we give new life to something simple (like a carrot) and transform it into something poetic, with meaning and warmth.
It’s an easy and fun project, perfect to do as a family.
You don’t need much: just dyed wool, a bit of cardboard, and a desire to create.
Each little pumpkin turns out different, with its own shape and personality.
These mini wool pumpkins are lovely for decorating tables, shelves, or windowsills.
You can display them on their own or combine them with dried leaves, small branches, or candles.
It’s a gentle way of letting autumn enter your home.
Here’s the Instagram reel showing the full process. Click here to watch.