Butterfly Jack-O-Lantern With Glowing Wing Holes at Dusk

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Hollow and map connections

   Cut the lid, scoop, and scrape the front wall to about an inch. Transfer the full butterfly template with a stylus. Before any cutting, trace the body strip from thorax to bottom border and confirm it is continuous. Trace both wing-tip bridges to the outer border and confirm each is at least three-quarters of an inch wide.

2. 2

   Mark the body strip and bridges

   Circle the body strip and both wing-tip bridges in marker. These are no-cut zones throughout the entire process. The body strip must remain uninterrupted even if individual wing-hole openings in the template seem to encroach on it.

3. 3

   Remove any horizontal body slits

   If the template includes any horizontal dark oval segments in the body strip, do not cut those openings. The construction notes specify that the body is one solid vertical strip. Redraw the body as one continuous dark band from thorax to bottom border before proceeding.

4. 4

   Cut wing holes from outer wings inward

   Begin cutting individual wing-hole apertures starting from the outermost holes near the wing-tip bridges and work inward toward the body strip. Use a fine-toothed saw for larger holes and a linoleum gouge for holes adjacent to the body strip. Push each freed piece inward.

5. 5

   Cut inner wing holes last

   The wing holes closest to the body strip are the highest risk since a miscut can nick the strip. Use the linoleum gouge for these holes and leave at least a millimeter of rind between each hole and the strip edge.

6. 6

   Light at dusk

   Place a bright LED inside, replace the lid, and display at dusk when the ambient light fades. The perforated wings glow with individual apertures reading like stained-glass segments, while the dark body strip and wing-tip bridges frame the overall butterfly shape.

Written with AI to match this design