Looking for cheap fall decor you can make in five minutes without sewing, painting, or crying into a pile of Pinterest fails? You’re in the right place.
I wanted cute fabric apples for fall. You know, the cozy kind that sit on a windowsill and scream “I totally have my life together.” But reality check: I didn’t have the time, energy, or emotional stability to start sewing. So I wrapped toilet paper in dish towels and called it a day. And somehow… it worked.
They look adorable. They’re soft. They double as emergency window stoppers. And best of all? They require zero skills and almost no effort. My kind of DIY.
What You Need to Make Toilet Paper Apples
- 1 roll of toilet paper (unused, please… let’s keep things classy)
- 1 dish towel – preferably in red or green check (bonus points if it screams “farmer’s market”)
- A scrap of green felt or fabric (or foam, or honestly anything vaguely leaf-like)
- A small stick from your yard, your dog’s collection, or the bottom of your purse
Step-by-Step: How I Wrapped My Bathroom Supplies and Fooled Everyone
Spread the dish towel out like you’re about to make a picnic for one. Put the toilet paper roll right in the center and prepare to suspend your disbelief.
Tear off a few squares of toilet paper. Twist them into a little circle or puff and plop it on top of the roll to give your "apple" that chunky, round top. Think of it as a cosmetic lift for cardboard. You're basically contouring with TP.
Fold the towel edges up and start stuffing them gently into the center hole of the roll. No creases. No sharp corners. Just tuck and swirl until it starts looking less like a bathroom emergency and more like a rustic apple from a catalog you can’t afford.
Cut two leaf shapes from green felt. Doesn’t matter if they’re symmetrical—real apples aren’t perfect either and neither are we. Tuck the leaves and stick into the top hole. Try not to laugh at how much this looks like an actual apple. You’re a wizard now.
Now You Have a Fabric Apple and Your Life Is a Little Better.
I placed mine on the windowsill, and every time I walk past it, I feel 3% more like someone who composts and owns wool socks.
Fun Fact: They Also Stop Windows From Slamming
Totally unintended bonus—I started using these things to wedge open the window so it wouldn’t keep banging shut. Turns out, fabric apples made of toilet paper are surprisingly effective structural elements. Take that, physics.
And when they get dusty? No problem. Unwrap the towel, throw it in the wash, rewrap. Boom—like new. Try doing that with a store-bought pumpkin made of foam and lies.
Final Thoughts From Someone Who Can’t Sew and Doesn’t Want To
If you’ve got five minutes, a dish towel, and a roll of toilet paper you’re willing to part with temporarily, you’ve got yourself an apple. Make a bunch. Stick them on your mantel, in a basket, next to the cinnamon broom you definitely didn’t use.
And if anyone asks how you made them? Just say “Oh, it’s a technique I picked up during a weekend in the French countryside.” They’ll believe you. You’ve got the vibe now. Wanna make some no-sew pumpkins from toilet paper rolls?