How to Make Beaded Pumpkin Bag Charms (Plus a Fall Charm Stack That Lasts Through Thanksgiving)

A pumpkin on a purse is an easy way to bring fall into an everyday accessory. If you have made a beaded bag charm before, you already know how addictive these little projects can be: a handful of beads, a clasp, and twenty minutes later your plain tote suddenly has a personality. This version feels like fall without looking like a costume accessory.

Enter the beaded pumpkin. It is a chunky little bead sculpture that looks far more complicated than it is, and it works from the first cool morning of September all the way through Thanksgiving dinner. This version uses three colors (classic orange, soft cream, and a muted sage green) and stacks them with a leaf and a tiny acorn, because charm stacking is the way everyone is wearing bag charms right now.

Why Pumpkin Charms Work

Small charms can be layered. A few small charms layered together make a nice alternative to hanging one big plush toy off your strap. A beaded pumpkin is the perfect small piece to build a cluster around.

They last longer than Halloween. Unlike a ghost or a bat, a pumpkin still looks right in November. Make it once and wear it for three months.

They make an easy handmade gift. Tie one onto a hostess gift, a teacher’s tote, or a friendsgiving place card. They cost a couple of dollars each in materials and look boutique.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Content on Life With Amanda is created with the help of AI.

What You Will Need

• Orange round glass beads (6mm): the classic pumpkin color and the one I would make first. orange glass beads
• Ivory glass pearl beads (6mm): for a soft, farmhouse style white pumpkin. ivory pearl beads
• Sage green round beads (6mm): green aventurine has that muted, modern sage color that pairs with everything. green aventurine beads
• Gold craft wire (22 gauge): stiff enough to hold the pumpkin shape, soft enough to twist by hand. gold jewelry wire
• Green glass leaf beads: one per pumpkin, for the little leaf at the stem. glass leaf beads
• Maple leaf charms: little gold maple leaves for the charm stack. maple leaf charms
• Acorn charms: the tiny finishing touch that makes the stack feel like fall. acorn charms
• Gold jump rings: to connect every charm to the clasp. gold jump rings
• Lobster clasp keychain rings: the part that clips onto your bag strap. lobster clasps
• Jewelry pliers set with wire cutter: round nose and chain nose pliers for loops and jump rings, plus a cutter for the wire. jewelry pliers set

🛒 Shop the full list in one click: Beaded Pumpkin Charm Supplies Idea List

How to Make a Beaded Pumpkin Bag Charm

Each pumpkin uses about 54 beads and an 18 inch piece of wire. Pour your beads onto a towel or a bead mat before you start so they do not roll away every time you reach for one.

Step 1: Make the First Loop

Cut 18 inches of wire. Thread 9 beads onto it and slide them to the middle of the wire. Bring the two sides of the wire together below the beads and twist them two times, so the beads form a closed loop that looks like a flower petal.

Step 2: Build Six Petals Around the Center

Using one of the wire tails, thread 9 more beads and twist that loop down at the same center point as the first one. Keep going until you have six loops fanned out in a circle, all twisted at one shared center. At this point it will look like a beaded flower lying flat on your table. That is exactly right.

Step 3: Fold It Into a Pumpkin

Gently bend every petal upward so the tips all meet at the top, like closing a flower. Thread one wire tail up through the center and then through the tip of each loop, one after another, and pull it snug. The petals round out into ribs and suddenly you are holding a pumpkin. Squeeze it lightly in your palm to even out the shape.

Step 4: Add the Stem and Leaf

Twist both wire tails together at the top to form a short stem. Slide a green leaf bead onto one tail and twist it in place. Use your round nose pliers to wrap the remaining wire into a small loop at the top, then trim any extra wire and tuck the sharp end down against the stem so it will not snag your bag.

Step 5: Build Your Fall Charm Stack

Open a jump ring by twisting the ends away from each other (never pull them apart sideways). Hook your pumpkin loop onto it, then add it to the lobster clasp ring. Repeat with a leaf charm and an acorn charm on their own jump rings so each piece swings a little separately. One pumpkin plus two small charms is a balanced ratio, but a trio of pumpkins in all three colors is a showstopper too.

Tips for Perfect Beaded Pumpkins

Keep your loops the same size. Counting exactly 9 beads per petal is what makes the ribs even. If one loop has 8 and the next has 10, the pumpkin will lean.

Twist firmly, but not too many times. Two twists at the center is plenty. Over twisting makes the wire brittle and it can snap when you fold the petals up.

Want a fatter pumpkin? Use 10 or 11 beads per loop. Want a tiny one for a zipper pull? Drop to 7 beads with 4mm beads.

Mix finishes for depth. Swapping in two or three matte or frosted beads per petal gives the pumpkin a more natural, farm stand look.

How to Style and Gift Them

On a neutral tote or a leather crossbody, one orange pumpkin with a gold leaf reads classic fall. For a softer look, stack cream and sage pumpkins together with an acorn, which works just as well at a Thanksgiving table as it does on your bag. If you are gifting, clip a pumpkin charm onto a bottle of wine, a candle, or a small kraft gift bag for a hostess gift that looks like you bought it at a boutique.

Want to Keep Beading?

If this is your first bag charm, my original guide to making beaded bag charms covers the basics and even how to sell them, and my beaded keychains and car charms tutorial is a fun next project once your pumpkin stack is finished.

Shop the Supplies

• Orange 6mm glass beads
• Ivory 6mm glass pearl beads
• Sage green aventurine 6mm beads
• Gold 22 gauge jewelry wire
• Green lampwork glass leaf beads
• Maple leaf charms
• Acorn charms
• Gold jump rings
• Lobster clasp keychain rings
• Jewelry pliers set

Want everything from this tutorial in one place? Check out my Beaded Pumpkin Charm Supplies Idea List on Amazon to shop the whole project in a single click.