Crossed Hockey Sticks and Puck Glowing Pumpkin

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Prepare the pumpkin

   Cut an entry hole from the base and clean out the interior, scraping the inner wall to about three-quarters of an inch thickness in the carving area. A flat-sided pumpkin works best for this design since the crossed-stick silhouette needs a broad, fairly flat canvas to show its shape clearly.

2. 2

   Transfer the design

   Print the crossed-stick template at a size that fills roughly two-thirds of the pumpkin face. Tape it in place and use a pin tool to prick the entire outline, including the puck oval below and the small accent circles above. Remove the template and connect the dots with a marker before cutting.

3. 3

   Cut the crossed-stick silhouette

   Use a thin flexible blade and follow the outer edge of the crossed-stick shape in one continuous pass, working from the handle tips upward to the blade ends. The intersection point is the thinnest part of the design, so use short, controlled strokes there. Ease the cut-out free from inside with a skewer.

4. 4

   Cut the puck aperture

   Move to the oval puck opening below the sticks and cut it cleanly with a round punch or narrow blade. Leave at least two finger-widths of rind between the puck and the bottom of the stick silhouette so both shapes read as distinct elements.

5. 5

   Add the backed accent circles

   Use a small round gouge or the narrow end of a linoleum tool to scoop out the small accent circles near the top, leaving the shell intact. Remove only the outer skin and a thin layer of flesh so the circles glow with a softer, muted light compared to the full-cut sections.

6. 6

   Light and display

   A cool-white LED works well with the crisp geometry of this design. Position the light toward the back of the cavity so both the open silhouette and the dimmer backed circles are lit evenly. Display on a bench or step where the full crossed-stick shape is visible from the front.

Written with AI to match this design