I Love Indiana Heart Lettering Pumpkin Carving Idea

Prep the pumpkin and pick your face

Choose a tall pumpkin with a smooth, flat front panel wide enough to fit two rows of lettering. Cut a lid from the bottom instead of the top so the stem stays intact and the pumpkin sits flat, then scoop the inside wall behind your design down to about one inch thick. A thinner wall is much easier to cut cleanly through. Wipe the front dry before you trace so your pattern stays put.

Trace the layout centered on the face

Print or draw the I, heart, I, and N sized to fill the panel, then tape the pattern flat and centered. Poke through the outlines with a pin or a wheeled tracing tool so you have a dotted guide on the rind. Leave a clear half-inch of rind around the entire design and between letters so nothing crowds together. Step back and check that the rows look level before you cut anything.

Score the outlines first

With a small carving saw, lightly trace every letter and the heart outline before cutting all the way through. This shallow scoring locks in your shape and gives the blade a track to follow. Keep the saw perpendicular to the surface so the openings have straight edges. Take your time on the heart's point and the tight inside corners of the N.

Cut the small and enclosed shapes

Start with the narrowest strokes, the two letter I bars and the vertical legs of the N. Cut through slowly with short strokes and gently push each freed piece inward, then out. Working small to large keeps the panel supported while you still have most of the rind intact. Save the wide heart opening for near the end.

Open the heart last

The heart is the biggest single cutout, so leave it until the letters are done and the face is otherwise stable. Cut along your scored line in sections rather than one long pass, easing the plug out as you go. Clean up the edges with light saw strokes so the curves read smoothly when lit. If any edge looks ragged, trim from the inside for a neater silhouette.

Light it and photograph

Drop in one or two battery-powered LED tea lights and set the pumpkin over them through the bottom opening. LEDs stay cool, so this design is safe on a wooden porch with no fire risk. Shoot at dusk when the surrounding light is soft and the cutouts glow warm against the orange rind. Rub a little petroleum jelly on the cut edges to slow drying and keep the letters crisp for a few extra days.