A little black bat holding a bright orange pumpkin is a lovely way to welcome Halloween. This felt pumpkin bat ornament has pink cheeks, pointed ears, wide wings, and two tiny white fangs. The little paws around the jack-o’-lantern give it such a friendly look.
In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through cutting the felt, adding the two faces, and sewing the pieces together by hand. The head and body get a little stuffing, while the ears and wings stay flat. There is no sewing machine needed, and all the felt edges stay on show.
The free two-page pattern includes the full-size shapes and an assembly guide. The finished target is about 124 × 105 mm, excluding the hanging loop. Keep the pattern nearby for the small details, take your time, and let’s make a cheerful little bat for your Halloween display.
Before You Start
Use 1–1.5 mm wool-blend felt so the small layers are easy to sew. The pattern already includes the allowance. Cut along the solid outlines and use the dashed lines as 2 mm stitching guides where shown. Sew the pieces wrong sides together; do not turn them inside out.
This is the pattern’s revised body version, reconstructed from unscaled photos. The finished measurement is a target, rather than a test-sewn guarantee. Make a paper layout or one sample before cutting a batch, and keep the stuffing light so the shape stays close to the guide.
This is a decorative ornament, not a toy. Small pieces and the hanging cord are hazards. Keep the finished bat, loose supplies, needles, and scissors away from children and pets.
Materials You Will Need
- 1–1.5 mm wool-blend felt in black for the head, body, outer ears, wings, paws, and eyes
- Pink felt for the inner ears and cheeks
- Orange felt for the pumpkin and a small brown scrap for its stem
- A small scrap of white felt for the fangs
- Matching embroidery thread, plus black thread for the smile and pumpkin details
- A hand-sewing needle and sharp scissors
- A little stuffing
- 180 mm of twine for the hanging loop
- A ruler, removable marking pen, and the printed pattern
Use felt or embroidered eyes. Beads are not needed for this pattern. A tiny white stitched highlight is optional and can help the black eyes show against the black felt.
Download and Print the Free Pumpkin Bat Pattern
Download the original two-page PDF for the full-size cutting shapes and assembly guide.
Download the free felt pumpkin bat pattern PDF
Print page 1 on A4 paper at 100% or Actual Size. Turn off Fit to Page and Shrink. Measure both sides of the test square: each side must be exactly 50 mm. Reprint if either measurement is different.
The assembly drawing on page 2 is a placement guide, not a full-size cutting template. Cut from the PDF shapes, rather than tracing an article photo or resizing a preview. The PDF also contains a few notes for a Moon bat variation; the lilac wing inlays and sleepy eyes are not part of this Pumpkin bat.
Felt Cutting List
All measurements are width × height. Quantities are the total number of felt pieces needed. The letters below are checklist labels for this article; the PDF names the pieces.
| ID | Piece | Total | Color | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Head | 2 | Black | 64 × 54 mm |
| B | Body | 2 | Black | 54 × 44 mm |
| C | Outer ear | 4 | Black | 24 × 31 mm |
| D | Inner ear | 2 | Pink | 16 × 22 mm |
| E | Wing, including tab | 4 | Black | 51 × 42 mm |
| F | Pumpkin | 1 | Orange | 32 × 29 mm |
| G | Stem | 1 | Brown | 5 × 8 mm |
| H | Pumpkin eye | 2 | Black | 5 × 6 mm |
| I | Pumpkin mouth | 1 | Black | 18 × 9 mm |
| J | Paw | 2 | Black | 12 × 16 mm |
| K | Cheek | 2 | Pink | 8 × 8 mm |
| L | Fang | 2 | White | 5 × 6 mm |
| M | Bat eye | 2 | Black | 6 × 6 mm |
For the outer ears and wings, cut two of the shown shape and two reversed. For the inner ears, cut one as shown and one reversed. These make two mirrored ears and two mirrored wings. With felt eyes, there are 27 felt pieces altogether.
1. Cut the Felt and Mark the Layout
Cut the paper templates, then cut the felt using the totals above. Do not add extra seam allowance. Transfer the face and placement marks to the front pieces with a removable pen. Test the pen on a scrap first.
For the overall layout, imagine a rectangle 124 mm wide and 105 mm high. All positions in this paragraph start at its top-left corner and locate each piece’s top-left cut edge. The head sits at (30, 15), the body at (35, 61), the outer ears at (28, 0) and (72, 0), and the wings at (0, 55) and (73, 55). All values are in millimeters.
Mirror the right ear and wing. Arrange the paper pieces before sewing, with the head in front of the body and the wing roots tucked behind it. The head overlaps the hidden neck section by 8 mm.
2. Sew the Ears and Wings
Place a pink inner ear on a black outer-ear front, 4 mm from its left edge and 5 mm below its top. Sew it in place. Repeat with the mirrored pieces for the other ear.
Pair each decorated ear front with its matching black back, wrong sides together. Sew 2 mm from the edge, following the guide. Leave both ears flat, without stuffing.
Pair the four wing pieces to make two mirrored, double-layer wings. Sew around them in the same way and leave them flat. Add the optional decorative fan lines if you like. Each wing includes an 8 mm root tab, which will be hidden behind the body.
3. Add the Bat’s Face
For the face measurements, start from the head piece’s own top-left corner. Place the eye centers at (20, 31) and (44, 31), and the cheek centers at (12, 39) and (52, 39). All measurements are in millimeters.
Sew the black eyes and pink cheeks to the head front. Use small securing stitches for these tiny details. The eyes and fangs do not have a 2 mm perimeter guide, so do not try to force a wide seam around them.
Place the fangs with their top-left edges at (24, 40) and (35, 40). Tack them securely, then embroider the smile over their top edges. The curve runs from (23, 39), through (32, 42), to (42, 39). Small backstitches work well here. Add a tiny white stitched eye highlight if desired.
4. Sew the Pumpkin and Paws
Lay the body front flat. Measure from its top-left corner and place the brown stem at (24.5, 7). Sew it securely to the body. Place the orange pumpkin at (11, 12), covering the lower 3 mm of the stem.
The finished head overlap will hide 1 mm at the top of the stem, leaving 4 mm visible above the pumpkin. Check this with the paper layout before sewing the pumpkin down. Follow the pumpkin’s 2 mm stitching guide with matching orange thread.
For the jack-o’-lantern face, measure from the pumpkin’s own top-left corner. Place the two triangular eyes at (6, 7) and (21, 7), and the mouth at (7, 16). These positions locate the top-left edges of the small pieces. Tack or satin-stitch them securely; they are too small for a 2 mm perimeter seam.
Embroider the curved vertical pumpkin ribs shown in the guide. Then place the black paws at body-relative positions (3, 14) and (39, 14). They overlap the sides of the pumpkin to make the bat look as though it is holding it. Sew each paw securely through the layers beneath it, following its guide and keeping the pumpkin face visible.
5. Attach the Wings and Stuff the Body
Lay the finished wings behind the body back, using the overall placement map. Their 8 mm root tabs go beneath the body. Secure each tab through the body back with two rows of stitches, 2 mm and 4 mm inward from the tab end. Keep the wing seams flat.
Place the decorated body front over the back, wrong sides together. Match the edges and sew 2 mm from them. Leave a 20 mm opening, add a little stuffing, then close the gap with the same edge stitching.
Use just enough filling to give the body a soft shape. Check that the pumpkin lies neatly on the front and both wings spread evenly. Too much stuffing can pull the body out of shape and make the neck join harder to sew.
6. Add the Ears and Hanging Loop
Baste the finished ears behind the head back in their mapped positions, with the pink inner ears facing forward. Check that the left and right ears form a mirrored pair.
Fold the 180 mm piece of twine in half. Insert both cut ends 15 mm between the head layers at the top center. Stitch through both ends repeatedly so the loop has a firm attachment inside the head.
Place the decorated head front against the back, wrong sides together. Sew along the 2 mm guide, leaving a 20 mm opening. Lightly stuff the head, spreading the filling gently behind the face. Close the gap and secure the thread without pulling the stitches tight.
7. Join the Head and Body
Lay the completed head over the body with the mapped 8 mm hidden-neck overlap. The head sits in front, with the pumpkin and its short brown stem visible below. Check the overall placement before joining the layers.
Ladder-stitch securely across the overlap on the back. Add hidden anchoring stitches behind the lower head edge, checking the front as you sew. Secure the thread and hide its end between the layers.
Keep the tension gentle so the join does not flatten the stuffing or change the silhouette. The head, body, ears, and wings should all feel firmly attached.
Final Checks Before Hanging
- Check the head-to-body join, ears, and wing tabs for loose stitches.
- Check that the paws, pumpkin face, cheeks, eyes, and fangs are secure.
- Gently check the hanging loop and its sewn-in ends.
- Remove visible marking lines according to the pen’s instructions.
- Check the front and back for gaps, loose thread ends, or puckered felt.
The finished target is about 124 × 105 mm, excluding the loop. Light stuffing can change the size slightly. Hang the ornament in a dry indoor spot, away from children and pets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to add seam allowance?
No. The allowance is included. Cut on the solid lines and use the 2 mm stitch guides where shown. Tiny face pieces need securing stitches rather than a full 2 mm perimeter seam.
Should I stuff the pumpkin, paws, ears, or wings?
No. The pumpkin and paws are single felt layers sewn to the body front. The paired ears and wings stay flat. Only the head and body receive a little stuffing.
Can I embroider the bat’s eyes?
Yes. The guide allows felt or embroidered eyes. Keep the eye centers in the same positions. A small white embroidered highlight is optional, and no beads are needed.
Why are there Moon bat notes in the PDF?
The assembly page includes a few instructions for another bat variation. For this Pumpkin bat, leave out the lilac wing inlays and use the round eyes shown in the Pumpkin cutting list. Follow the pumpkin and paw placements in this tutorial.
Why must the test square measure 50 mm both ways?
Printer settings can resize a page. Measuring both sides confirms the pattern is at the intended scale. If either side is wrong, turn off Fit or Shrink and print again at 100% or Actual Size.
Can I change the felt colors?
Yes. Keep the shapes and measurements the same. Choose enough contrast for the pumpkin face and little paws to show clearly, and make a paper layout before cutting a batch.
Enjoy Your Little Pumpkin Bat
The bright pumpkin and tiny paws give this little bat plenty of Halloween charm. Take the small details slowly, keep the stuffing soft, and check every join before hanging it up. It makes a sweet addition to a seasonal branch or a small indoor display.
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