Crossed Hockey Sticks and Puck Pumpkin

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Prep the pumpkin and plan the light hole

   Pick a tall, round pumpkin with a wide, flat front so the crossed sticks have room to stretch corner to corner. Rather than cutting a lid, cut a hole in the back so the stem stays picture ready like the one shown. Scrape the inside wall behind the design down to about one inch thick with a sturdy scoop. A thinner wall makes the shafts far easier to cut and lets more light through.

2. 2

   Transfer the stencil

   Center your crossed-stick pattern on the front and tape it flat, snipping small darts in the paper so it hugs the curve without wrinkling. Poke closely spaced dots along every line with a pushpin or a poking tool, including the little hash marks on each blade and the outline of the puck. Peel the paper away and connect the dots lightly with a marker so you can see the full shape before cutting. Double check that both sticks mirror each other before you make a single cut.

3. 3

   Cut the small hash marks first

   Start with the short grip-tape hash lines on the blades and shafts while the surrounding rind is still solid and supportive. Use a fine detail saw or a craft knife and take slow, straight passes, letting the little plugs pop free one at a time. Cutting these tiny shapes before the big openings keeps them from tearing or crumbling. Clear the bits from inside as you go so you can see your progress.

4. 4

   Open the puck, then the long shafts

   Move to the flat puck below the intersection and cut it as one clean pierced oval. Then carve the two long stick shafts and the blades, saving the largest single opening for last so the pumpkin face keeps its strength while you work. Cut each stick as a continuous smooth line and let the two shafts meet cleanly at the X. Support the wall with your free hand and push waste inward, not outward, to protect the edges.

5. 5

   Clean up the edges

   Run your knife back along every cut to bevel the inside edge slightly outward, which widens the opening on the inside and throws more light through the front. Smooth any ragged spots on the shafts so the lines stay crisp and straight. Test-fit a light and check that both sticks glow evenly. Trim the narrow points where the blades taper so they do not look chipped.

6. 6

   Light it and photograph

   Drop in one or two battery LED lights and skip candles, since the tall shafts channel heat and open flame is a fire risk. Warm white or amber LEDs give that classic orange glow you see here. Set the pumpkin on a dark surface indoors or in a shaded spot so the bright cutouts pop against the skin. Snap your photo slightly off to one side to keep glare off the front.