Print off the free pumpkin string art template (find the link in the list of supplies above!).Cut out the shape roughly, leaving a small border outside of the shape.
Tape the pumpkin to the center of your wood board to keep it in place.You can use plain wood, or stain your wood ahead of time like we did.
Step 3: Hammer in the nails and remove the template
Hammer in the nails around the outside of the pumpkin so they're sticking out about 1/2 inch above the wood.If you're using the template, add the nails on the marked spots. Otherwise, add nails every 1/2 to 3/4 inch, keeping them a fairly even distance apart.
Continue, adding nails all around the outside of the pumpkin and along the inside lines.Make any final adjustments, checking that the nails are fairly straight and evenly hammered into the wood.
Rip off the pumpkin template from the board. Try to remove as much of the paper as possible.If you can't reach some of the tiny pieces, use tweezers to help pull it out.
Step 4: Add string to the nails
Start by tying the pumpkin orange embroidery floss to one of the nails in a double knot.Leave 1 to 2 inches of string on the end.
Begin weaving the string up one section of the pumpkin, going from nail to nail in a zig zag pattern.
Once you reach the top of the pumpkin, come back down the same section in the opposite direction.
Go over the same section 2 - 3 more times, overlapping the previous thread as you go from side to side at different angles.Then move on to the next section, doing the same thing.
When you run out of thread, tie off the last thread and start a new one.
Work section by section until you've filled the whole pumpkin. Push the string down on the nails as needed.
Tie the brown embroidery thread onto the stem.
Weave the string back and forth across the stem, going over the nails several times. Cut and tie off the string when you're happy with how the stem looks.
Step 5: Make an outside border
Use the darker orange thread to create a border around the pumpkin. Start by tying the string onto one of the outside nails.
Working along the outside of the pumpkin, wrap the string around each nail so that it makes a straight line across the inside of the nails.To do this, we went in a counterclockwise direction around the pumpkin. Bring the thread from nail to nail, making a clockwise loop around each nail to keep the string in place.
Once you've made your way around the whole pumpkin, reverse directions and create a border around the outside of the same nails.Move back around the pumpkin in a clockwise direction, still wrapping the thread clockwise around each nail.
Now add a third part of the border. Fill in the center of the border by going between the same nails in an opposite direction each time, creating a zigzag between them.
Finally, go back in the opposite direction one last time, zigzagging in the opposite direction.
Once you've finished the outside border, cut and tie off the string.
Step 6: Create other borders and cut off the extra string
Do the same border on the pumpkin stem, using the brown coloured string. Repeat the process of going around each side of the nails and zigzagging between them in both directions. Cut and tie off the thread once finished.
Tie on a new darker orange thread on the bottom left and make a border around each inside section of nails.Continue on to the next row by going across the bottom nails.
Finish creating borders around the next two ribs of the pumpkin. Tie and cut off the thread when complete.
Trim the excess string, close to the knots you've tied.