How to Make a Felt Halloween Garland for Beginners + 3 Printable Patterns

You can turn a handful of felt scraps into a felt Halloween garland by hand-stitching three stuffed felt shapes, a pumpkin, a ghost, and a candy corn, then stringing them along a length of twine. This is Day 1 of our Cute-Spooky Halloween Wall Display series: make this garland first so it’s ready to hang on assembly day, and the origami bats are next up on Day 2.

The stitching is simple hand-sewing, mostly a flat blanket stitch, so it suits an intermediate beginner more than a total first-timer, and the whole set takes about two to three hours from tracing to the last knot. You’ll spend under $5 on felt and twine, since scissors, a needle, and thread are the kind of basics most sewing kits already have.

Once they’re strung, hang the trio across a shelf or mantel for Halloween, or skip the garland entirely and keep the shapes as standalone felt charms or treat bag toppers. After years of writing these patterns, I’ve learned it’s easier to read the whole tutorial once, then work straight from the printed pieces. Skim the steps below before you cut into your felt. If you like this style of stitched softie, it’s the same technique behind most of our felt plushies and soft toys.

Felt Halloween Garland at a Glance

• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Time: About 2 to 3 hours for all three patterns
• Cost: Under $5
• Ages: 10 and up, younger kids can help with stuffing and stringing
• Best for: Halloween wall garlands, treat bag toppers, standalone felt charms

What You Need to Make a Halloween Garland

Materials

• Felt fabric in orange, green, white, and yellow, enough for three small shapes plus a little extra for practice.
• Matching thread in orange, green, black, white, and yellow, so each stitch line disappears into the felt instead of standing out.
• Cotton stuffing or scrap felt cut into small pieces, for filling out each shape.
• A length of twine or cord, for stringing the finished shapes into a garland.

Tools

• Needle, for hand-stitching each shape.
• A pair of scissors, for cutting the felt cleanly.
• Pencil or fabric chalk, for tracing the pattern pieces onto felt without leaving a permanent mark.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Trace and Cut the Pumpkin Pieces

Start with the pumpkin. Trace the rounded pumpkin base twice onto orange felt and the stem once onto green felt, then cut all three pieces out. Use a pencil or fabric chalk for the tracing lines, since a sharpie or gel pen will leave a mark that shows through the finished plush.

Pick one of the two pumpkin bases to be the front, and draw the jack-o’-lantern face onto it in pencil before you stitch. That line is just a guide, so don’t worry about it being perfect.

Step 2: Stitch the Face and Attach the Stem

Thread a needle with black thread and stitch directly over your pencil line to give the pumpkin its face. Keep the stitches small and close together so the eyes and mouth read clearly once the plush is stuffed.

Switch to green thread and stitch the stem to the top middle of the front piece, overlapping the base of the stem slightly onto the pumpkin. That keeps the seam hidden underneath once it’s stitched down.

Step 3: Blanket Stitch the Front and Back Together

Lay the front piece on top of the plain back piece and thread a needle with orange thread. Work a blanket stitch around the edge, catching both layers together, and keep your stitches an even distance apart for a tidy finish.

Stop stitching about an inch before you reach where you started. That gap is what you’ll stuff the pumpkin through in the next step.

Step 4: Stuff the Pumpkin and Close the Gap

Push small pinches of stuffing or scrap felt through the opening, working it into the corners first so the shape stays rounded instead of lumpy in the middle. Stop once the pumpkin feels firm but still gives a little when you squeeze it.

Finish the blanket stitch across the gap, then tie two tight knots to lock the thread and trim the tail close to the felt.

Step 5: Trace and Stitch the Candy Corn Layers

Trace two candy corn outlines onto white felt, one bottom layer onto yellow felt, and one middle layer onto orange felt. Trace the small arms and legs onto yellow felt as well, then cut every piece out.

Pencil the face onto the orange middle layer and stitch it in black thread before you assemble the rest of the shape, the same way you stitched the pumpkin’s face in step 2.

Step 6: Trace and Stitch the Ghost

Trace two ghost bases and two small arm pieces onto white felt, then draw a simple face on one of the base pieces. Stitch that face in black thread, keeping the eyes a little larger than you think you need, since white felt tends to swallow small details.

Step 7: Assemble and Stuff the Candy Corn and Ghost

The candy corn and the ghost come together the same way the pumpkin did: stitch on the extra pieces, blanket stitch the front and back together leaving a gap, stuff each one firmly, and close the gap with two knots.

By the end of this step you should have three finished, stuffed felt shapes lined up in front of you, ready to become a garland.

Step 8: Cut a Length of String for the Garland

Measure and cut a length of twine or cord long enough to span where you plan to hang the garland, with extra on each end for tying it up. Run it between your hands a few times to work out any kinks so it hangs straight.

Step 9: Attach the Shapes to the String

Turn each felt shape face down and attach it to the string along the back. Hot glue holds them in place permanently, or scotch tape works if you want to swap the shapes out or reuse the string for something else next year.

Step 10: Space the Shapes and Finish the Garland

Work down the length of string, leaving small, even gaps between each shape as you attach it. Step back and look at the spacing every few shapes. It’s easier to nudge one over now than to notice a gap is off once every piece is glued down.

Once all three shapes are attached, your Halloween garland is ready to hang.

Tips for a Felt Halloween Garland

• For small pattern pieces, use a medium-weight felt, not too thick or too thin, so the seams fold cleanly.
• Trace with a pencil or fabric chalk instead of a sharpie or gel pen, since ink shows through lighter felt.
• Keep your blanket stitches an even distance apart around the edges for a neater finish.
• No cotton stuffing on hand? Cut leftover felt scraps into small pieces and use those instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What patterns come with this Halloween garland tutorial?

This tutorial includes three patterns: a felt pumpkin, a ghost, and a candy corn. Each is a small stuffed shape you sew and stuff on its own, then string together. The printable pattern pieces live in the shop as a small paid download, or you can get them free with a Premium membership.

Can I add different Halloween shapes to the garland instead of the pumpkin, ghost, and candy corn?

Yes. Any felt shape you can trace, stitch, and stuff the same way will work. A bat, a spider, or a witch hat all follow the same basic steps. Just keep new shapes a similar size to the three here so the garland reads as a matched set.

How long does it take to make a full Halloween felt garland?

Making all three patterns and stringing them together takes about two to three hours, most of it hand-stitching the blanket stitch around each shape. It’s a project you can easily split across a couple of evenings instead of finishing in one sitting.

What can I use to stuff the felt shapes if I don’t have polyester stuffing?

Cut leftover felt scraps into small pieces and use those instead. It fills out the shape just as well as cotton or polyester stuffing, and it’s a good way to use up fabric you’d otherwise throw away.

How do I store the garland until I’m ready to hang it for Halloween?

Coil it loosely into a box, tray, or folder so the felt shapes don’t get crushed or bent out of shape. If you’re following it as Day 1 of our Cute-Spooky Halloween Wall Display series, that’s exactly how it waits until Day 7, when you bring it out with the bats, ghosts, spiders, and pumpkins for the full display.

Is hot glue safe to use if kids are helping make this Halloween garland?

Hot glue isn’t the safest choice for younger kids, since both the glue and the tip of the glue gun stay hot enough to burn skin. Have an adult handle the glue gun in step 9, or swap in scotch tape instead, which holds the felt shapes to the string just as well and lets kids of any age help attach them. Tape is also the better pick if you’d rather reuse the string or swap the shapes out next year.

More Plushies and Soft Toys Tutorials

• Felt Monster Pencil Toppers
• Felt Bat Pencil Toppers
• 12 Spooky Felt and Plush Halloween Crafts
• Felt Bat Plushie
• Origami Ghost, the Day 3 project in this same wall display series

Share your finished Halloween garland in the I Made It space inside Craftaholic Community. The most-loved post each month wins a one year free Premium membership.