I Love Ohio Heart Lettering Pumpkin

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Pick a tall pumpkin and plan the layout

   Choose a tall, fairly flat-faced pumpkin so the two rows of text have room to breathe. Wipe the front clean and dry it. Sketch or print the design at a size that fills the face, with the I and heart on top and OH below. Center it so the words read clearly from a few feet away.

2. 2

   Open and clean the pumpkin

   Have an adult cut a lid from the bottom or the back rather than the top, which keeps the tall front face uninterrupted. Scoop out the seeds and pulp with a scraper. Thin the inside wall behind the design to about one inch so your cutting tool passes through easily. A thinner wall also lets more light escape once the LED is inside.

3. 3

   Transfer the pattern and mark the bridge

   Tape your stencil flat against the face and poke holes along every letter edge with a pin or a poking tool, or trace the lines with a washable marker. Pay special attention to the letter O, which has an inner oval island that will fall out if left free. Mark a small connecting bridge at the 12 o clock position of the O so the island stays anchored. Remove your stencil and connect your dots into clean outlines.

4. 4

   Carve the small details first

   Start with the smallest, most enclosed shapes, which are the serifs and the tight curve of the letters. Use a fine detail saw and let the tool do the work with gentle strokes, no forcing. Leave the tiny bridge on the O intact for now so the island has support. Cutting small before large keeps the pumpkin wall strong while you work.

5. 5

   Cut the large openings, island last

   Move on to the big shapes, the heart and the open counters of the letters, saving them for after the small cuts are done. Push each freed piece gently inward and out. Once every other cut is finished, slice the little bridge on the O and lift out the inner island. Tidy any rough edges with your saw held straight up and down.

6. 6

   Light it and set it out

   Slide a battery LED light inside and skip open flame, which is safer and gives steadier glow. Test it in a dark room and rotate the light until every letter reads evenly. Set the pumpkin on a front porch or step at eye level for passersby. A quick rub of petroleum jelly on the cut edges slows drying and keeps the letters crisp for days.

Written with AI to match this design