Pumpkin Pillow Cover -- only my second sewing project

I want to say it first: this project was WAY TOO BIG for my practically non-existent sewing skills. lol I'm super excited about my sewing machine, which I've only used once on the fabric pumpkin (also a project WAY TOO BIG for me!). Call me hard-headed, but it seems the best way for me to learn is to do it wrong, once or twice...maybe even more...we'll see.

Anyways, this cute idea would turn out MUCH BETTER with someone who knows how to handle their sewing machine. Fortunately, my four year old daughter doesn't know the difference and loves "her" pumpkin pillow. 

Materials Already-On-Hand:

Orange Scrap Fabric from old shirts

Patterned Skirt Scrap Fabric (includes the zipper so the pumpkin cover is removeable)

Black Scrap Fabric from daughters ripped leggings

Pillow (our pillow was a hand-me-down girls throw pillow)

Sewing Machine

Materials Bought: NONE

Obvious to all real seamstresses out there, this is NOT how to measure the material needed. Luckily, it worked out.

Steps on Sewing Machine: 
1. sewed long-printed strips together
2. attached strips to one of the round circles. trimmed off excess.
3. my daughter helped make the face and then that was stitched on (I used the zipper placement as a guide for the top and bottom of the pillow)
4. second circle sewn on.
5. as an afterthought, I added the stem. if I were to do this again I would have sewn it on while putting the strips together. it would have been MUCH easier

ready, set...

...iron!I ironed with starch prior to
firing up the sewing machine

 

This is the original zipper from the skirt.
It was a tight fit but it worked.

Pumpkin Pillow Cover next to his 
friend the Stuffed Pumpkin.. 

face is off centered because I rushed the job...
and it was closing in on 11pm.
WAY past my bedtime