Easy DIY Apple Pom Poms

If you’ve ever made pom poms at home, you know how fun it can be. It’s strangely satisfying, and you can make them in so many fun colors. Fall is what inspired these cute and easy DIY apple pom poms. They make a great garland for some fall decor!

If you’ve never made pom poms before, don’t worry – it’s so easy! In fact, you can skip a bunch of the steps below if you have a pom pom maker. Pom pom makers are cheap and super useful. But if you don’t have a pom pom maker, don’t worry – this tutorial shows you how to make a pom pom using things you can find around the house.

I used one of the kids’ wooden blocks, but you can also use a hardcover book or even a can of food. The wider the item you use, the bigger the pom pom will be.

Here’s what you need to make these apple pom poms:

Red yarn
Brown yarn (you’ll only need a very small amount of the brown)
Green paper (you can use scrapbook paper, green card stock like in the picture above, or even just cut a piece of leaf off of an old fake flower you have around the house)
Sharp scissors (you really want them to be sharp!)
You’ll also need something to wrap the yarn around. You could use three fingers, as I have done (but I end up with purple fingertips from how tight the yarn gets, so…). I used a wooden block from the kids’ toy box. It was the perfect size and no fingers turned purple when I used it.

Before you start, cut off a piece of brown yarn (maybe 8″ long or so).

You can use all kinds of things to make yarn pom poms!

Next, start wrapping the red yarn around the block (or fingers, or similarly-sized object).

I wrapped the yarn around it between 60-70 times. You want a fluffy pom pom, so I would say at least 60 wraps, and even up to 100 will work.

Cut the yarn.

Now, pull the yarn off the block.

You’ll have a nice little loop of yarn.

Grab your piece of brown yarn. Lay the red yarn down and tie the brown yarn, very tightly (double knot, for sure!) around the center of the red yarn. Again – make sure this is tight!

Next, you are going to cut through the loops. Be sure to keep your brown piece of yarn out of the way. This is why you want sharp scissors – it’s tough to cut if they aren’t super sharp!

You’ll have a very shaggy ball of yarny fluff!

Next you’ll want to start trimming down the yarn until the pieces are very short. Don’t be scared (I totally was at first). Just start trimming. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The goal is a (mostly) round ball of fluff. Put the scissors down periodically and fluff up your pom pom – this will help you see long pieces and know where to trim.

Once it’s nice and fluffy, tie the brown off into a short little loop, and cut off the excess. This is your apple stem!

How to make the leaves for your apple poms

Cut a piece of green paper into the shape of a leaf (or, as I did on this one, cut off a piece of leaf from an old fake flower). Add a tiny dab of hot glue and glue your leaf right next to the stem.

And there are SO many cute ways to use these. Hot glue one to the top of a pencil for a super cute pencil topper. Add one to a pencil jar for handmade touch. String them together on twine for an adorable garland. Toss them all in a vase for a fun pop of color. Tie one to the top of a wrapped gift or to the handles of a gift bag. See? So many ways to use them!

I also think you’d love these cute fall centerpieces – they’re fun (and budget-friendly) for Thanksgiving!

And if you’re on a pom pom kick, you’ll love all these cute pom pom craft ideas.

Let me know if you make these – I’d love to hear how you use them!