How to make a pumpkin basket?

Perhaps everyone knows such a wonderful plant as pumpkin. It is not only beautiful and full of useful substances, but also quite mysterious - there is still no exact definition of what it is: a vegetable, fruit or berry. In addition, the pumpkin is an excellent example of a vegetable decorative material.

There are many types of pumpkin, decorative varieties are mainly used for crafts, but they do not have comprehensive capabilities, as it might seem. For example, pumpkin from traditional food varieties is used to make great baskets using auxiliary materials such as flowers, vegetables, leaves, etc. Such an accessory becomes a bright and unusual accent in the interior.

As a material for such a product, choose a complete fetus without damage and visible deformations... Pumpkin must have "Clean" outline and flat surface without chips, scratches, unsightly stains and dents, medium in size. The fruits are washed and allowed to dry. This is followed by processing in different ways, depending on the intended service of the future accessory. The differences mainly lie in the drying time: for example, to create durable dishes, it will take at least six months to dry.

For this, the selected fruits are thoroughly washed, then treated with a weak alcohol solution. Next, the pumpkins are placed in a semi-dark room with good ventilation, carefully observing the distance between the fruits - in no case should they touch.If the product is to serve as a temporary decoration, and its purpose is part of a seasonal design, an exhibit of autumn exhibitions, crafts for school or kindergarten, then everything is much easier and faster. The pumpkin is washed, removed from the pulp and filled with paper to dry. The newspaper does it with the highest quality.

After that, they begin to create a masterpiece with their own hands.

For blanks, fruits with a tough and dense peel structure are chosen. The soft areas start to rot very soon. For drying, it is best to insure yourself and prepare a few fruits.

Small-fruited varieties are used for crafts, however, decorative pumpkins require more painstaking work, so it is easier to work with an ordinary medium-sized pumpkin.

A pumpkin basket is the most common choice for seasonal crafts from this garden crop. The explanation is simple - the bright catchy beauty of the fruit, ease of processing. In addition, the material holds its shape perfectly, is suitable for carving, and, if properly processed, can be stored for decades. Using a pumpkin is an opportunity to create fabulous, mystical, autumn compositions of extraordinary beauty.

The set of necessary tools largely depends on the tasks at hand. But for any option, the very basis is needed - a blank. Next, work begins on creating crafts using certain devices.

Would need:

• sharp knife for cutting;

• steel spoon for removing pulp;

• an awl for punctures;

• wipes to remove moisture;

• devices for curly cutting of vegetables;

• felt-tip pen, paints, brush, scotch tape.

To make a do-it-yourself pumpkin basket craft, you have to do the work in several stages:

• choose fruits;

• process and dry;

• cut and decorate.

Autumn compositions for kindergarten or school are best done with children - this is an exciting activity that develops creative thinking, fine motor skills, expanding the horizons of the child. In addition, in the process, the kid will learn how to hold the knife correctly, learn what can be done with it, how to make the simplest carving, what natural materials are good for. The following is a step-by-step instruction with a step-by-step execution of work on the theme of autumn, creating a beautiful composition from a small or large pumpkin.

To carry out an ordinary, unpretentious and easy-to-make pumpkin basket, you will need the above tools. After that, they start making crafts:

• the selected pumpkin is washed and dried;

• determine the desired height of the future craft;

• then make a circular cut and remove the resulting "hat" with a tail;

• with a steel spoon (aluminum is not suitable, since it will bend), take out the insides - pulp with seeds;

• the walls are thoroughly cleaned from the inside, washed with clean water, after which the fruit is filled with newspapers for further drying;

• a simple pattern is drawn on the dried workpiece, imitating a large interlacing of a vine, cut it out and process the cut points, making them smooth and even.

For this type of craft, the most suitable would be a voluminous bright orange pumpkin for blue, green, purple, black fruits (plums, grapes, kiwi). For yellow-red fruits (apples, peaches, oranges, nectarines), green pumpkins are more suitable.

The basket with a handle is made according to the traditional technology. The handle forms a monolith with a base: the side parts are cut out in the upper half, except for the arc-handle. On the surface of the product, you can apply a pattern-imitation of weaving, or you can make a real thread.The product is decorated with dry stems, beautiful twigs, flowers and filled with suitable fruits. If there is a desire to see the accessory for a long time, real fruits are replaced with dummies.

Another option for the basket is offered to the attention of dads and mothers. This time it will be decorated with flowers. The end result is great and quite original, and it is done so simply that it is quite accessible even for kindergarten children.

Sequencing:

• the pumpkin is divided into 3 parts;

• cut off one of the three parts from above;

• carry out internal processing and drying in an already familiar way;

• after that, the upper part is returned to its place and fastened with the lower tape;

• the time has come for the design of the original design - a zigzag pattern with large teeth is drawn through both cuts;

• neatly cut along the applied contour, as a result, getting a cover, which, when closed, will fit exactly into the grooves-teeth;

• but now the basket needs to be decorated with flowers - several flower heads on short stems are inserted into each recess and fixed with tape from the inside (they can be placed over the entire surface of the zigzags);

• the upper part is covered with the lower one, getting an original decor, as if flowers sprout through the surface of a pumpkin.

This is a more complex design due to the fact that you have to do carving from vegetables. For the basket, an oval elongated fruit is chosen. A basket with a handle is cut out according to the already familiar technology, processed, dried and carved over the entire surface. The vegetables are turned into flowers and the basket is filled with them. You can add decorative elements to the composition: plants, natural flowers and leaves.

This basket also has a handle, but for a change it will be made of vine.... To do this, from thin branches of willow, willow or birch, weave a neckline and a handle, and fix it with a thin wire. After that, it remains to take a pumpkin prepared in a known way, glue a blank from a vine to the dried base. For strength, it is possible to fix the structure in several places with a wire passed through the body of the fetus.

How to make a basket with a handle is already a well-known step. It can only be added that to facilitate the work with the fruit, some use a stencil, with the help of which the contours are applied to the workpiece, after which they begin the cutting procedure. If it is easier for someone, the handle can be made as a separate element and fixed with toothpicks. The surface of the product is decorated with carving or painted, which is much easier.

There are endless options for decorating pumpkin crafts:

• the finished design accessory is painted with acrylics, varnished;

• the basket is decorated with improvised materials: rhinestones, beads, ribbons, organza or satin braid;

• decorate with appliques, carving, plant elements: dried flowers, ears, twigs, etc .;

• as an option, you can put an LED strip or a Christmas tree garland in the basket, add dummies - you will get a wonderful night light in the children's room.

The beauty of working with such a natural material as pumpkin is its availability for a master of any skill. An experienced carving specialist and a toddler from a kindergarten, a schoolboy and a master of making utensils from bottle pumpkin - lagenarii can work with him. Work can become a favorite hobby or generate additional income.

And how you can make a basket-bouquet of pumpkin, see the video below.