How to Make Paper Mache Pumpkins

Push polyfill into a plastic grocery bag until it reaches the size of pumpkin you want. Fill it more for a big one, less for a small one.

Twist the bag closed and knot it low against the stuffing so the bundle stays tight and round.

Run four lengths of string around the bundle, crossing underneath and pulling each one snug.

Space them evenly. Every string you add pulls a groove into the bag, and those grooves become the ribs that make the shape read as a pumpkin rather than a ball.

Twist the loose top of the bag up into a stalk. Wrap a piece of aluminium foil around it and squeeze it into the shape you want.

Foil holds whatever bend you give it, so a stem with a slight lean looks more natural than a straight one.

Tear newspaper into a decent pile of strips before you start. Once your hands are covered in paste you will not want to stop and tear more.

For the paste, stir together water, white glue and flour. Catherine does not measure any of it - you are aiming for a texture slightly thinner than pancake batter.

Cover your table first - freezer paper or newspaper both work. Dip a strip, pull the excess paste off between two fingers, and smooth it onto the form.

Press well down into the rib crevices. If you bridge over them the pumpkin shape disappears under the paper.

Let the top firm up a little, then turn the pumpkin over and cover the underside. Sitting it on a glass jar keeps it steady and off the table.

If you want the polyfill back, leave a small gap unpapered. Dry it upside down on the jar so that spot stays soft.

Add a second layer the same way as the first, then give it a couple of hours. Blot any wet paste near the opening with a paper towel so it does not soak the stuffing.

Snip the strings, cut the plastic back and pull the polyfill out through the gap. The shell stays flexible at this stage, so handle it gently.

Sit the hollow pumpkin back on the jar and tear some wider strips than you have been using.

Bridge the opening with them, smooth the edges down, and let it dry all the way through this time. No shortcuts here - a damp patch stays soft and dents later.

Dried paper mache leaves sharp ridges where the strips overlapped. Some people mix up paper mache clay to fix this; a layer of paper towel is easier and works nearly as well.

Tear the towel into small pieces, paste them on, and smooth every wrinkle out as you go.

Once it is bone dry, paint it. Work the brush down into the ribs where the shadows fall, and give the stem a separate colour so it reads as a stem.

Traditional orange is the obvious choice, but a flat white or cream suits a lot of homes better and still says autumn.