Make America Great Again Pumpkin

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Pick a tall, thick pumpkin and prep it

   Choose a tall pumpkin with a flat-ish front face and walls at least an inch thick, since this many openings puts a heavy load on the shell. Cut a lid or a wide bottom access hole so you can reach the whole interior. Scoop the guts and scrape the front wall only lightly, leaving plenty of material for strength. Over-thinning the wall is the fastest way to lose letters, so go easy.

2. 2

   Transfer the four rows and stars

   Print a stencil with MAKE, AMERICA, GREAT, and AGAIN stacked in four even rows, plus a five-pointed star at each end of the top and bottom rows. Tape it snugly to the front and use a pin tool to poke closely spaced dots along every edge. Take your time confirming letter spacing and that the stars line up before any sawing. While the pumpkin is still whole, this is your chance to fix crooked rows.

3. 3

   Score all the outlines first

   Remove the paper and lightly connect your pin dots with a detail saw or craft knife, scoring the full outline of every letter and star without cutting all the way through yet. Working shallow first lets you catch spacing mistakes and keeps the shell rigid while you carve. Pay special attention to the enclosed centers of A, R, and G so you keep those bridges intact. An adult should handle all the cutting tools.

4. 4

   Cut the small pieces before the big ones

   Start with the stars and the smaller letters, cutting each opening fully through with steady, gentle saw strokes. Push cut pieces inward or out cleanly so you do not tear neighboring edges. Save the widest openings, like the big A and M shapes, for last so the pumpkin holds its shape as long as possible. If a bridge feels fragile, leave a hair more skin rather than risk a break.

5. 5

   Clean the edges and check the bridges

   Go back and trim any ragged edges so light passes cleanly through each stroke of the letters. Inspect the thin bridges between rows and inside letters, and if one cracked, a toothpick and a dab of white glue can splint it. Wipe away debris from inside so nothing blocks the glow. Test-fit your light before the final display.

6. 6

   Light it and photograph

   Drop in a bright battery LED or two, never a candle, since the many cutouts need even light to read all four words. Place the pumpkin at eye level against a dark background so the warm letters pop. Shoot in a dim room with the LED as the main light for that even orange glow. Prop it on a flat wood surface so it sits square and the rows stay level.