Star and Bar Military Pumpkin Cutout

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Hollow and prep

   Cut a lid from the back or base of the pumpkin and scrape the carving wall to about an inch thick. Dry the exterior surface. The design is compact enough to work on most medium-sized pumpkins without requiring a broad flat face.

2. 2

   Transfer the stencil

   Print the star and bar arrangement, tape it to the pumpkin, and transfer the outline with a pin tool or awl. Remove the paper and connect the dotted lines in pencil. Confirm that the gap between the star and each bar is at least half an inch before proceeding.

3. 3

   Cut the star

   Pierce inside the star outline and saw around the perimeter, approaching each inside corner from two directions so the points stay crisp. Remove the plug and check that the surrounding rind is undamaged.

4. 4

   Cut the rectangular bars

   Saw each bar as a clean rectangle, cutting the short ends first then the long sides. Remove each plug in one piece if possible. The straight-sided cuts are straightforward once the trickier star is already done.

5. 5

   Smooth and clean up

   Run a detail knife along the inside walls of all three openings to remove any fibrous edges. Wipe the outer face clean with a damp cloth to remove pencil marks.

6. 6

   Light and display

   Insert a warm LED tea light and position the pumpkin slightly forward on a step or shelf so all three openings are visible from a normal viewing angle. Coat cut edges with petroleum jelly to extend the display life.

Written with AI to match this design