Two Falling Maple Leaves Pumpkin

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Prep the pumpkin and pick your face

   Choose a smooth, wide side of the pumpkin for your carving surface. Cut a lid from the bottom or the back rather than the top so the stem stays intact for looks. Scoop the inside until the wall on your carving side is about one inch thick, scraping it smooth with a loop tool. A thinner wall makes it much easier to push the blade through cleanly.

2. 2

   Transfer the two-leaf pattern

   Print or draw two five-lobed maple leaves at slightly different sizes with long thin stems. Tape the pattern flat against the pumpkin and poke the outline with a pin or a poker tool, following every point closely. Mark where the leaves overlap so you remember to keep that shared edge as a single clean line. Peel the paper away and connect the dots lightly with a marker if the holes are hard to see.

3. 3

   Carve the smaller leaf first

   Start with the smaller leaf since its tips are the most fragile. Use a fresh, sharp detail saw and cut from the inside of each lobe outward toward the point, easing off pressure as you reach the tip. Let each carved piece fall inward or pull it out gently so you do not snap a point. Adults should handle all the sharp cutting.

4. 4

   Carve the larger leaf and stems

   Move to the larger leaf and repeat the same tip-to-tip approach, cutting the deep notches between lobes carefully. Save the two long thin stems for last, since narrow strips are easy to overcut. Where the leaves overlap, cut only the front leaf's edge so the back leaf appears to tuck behind it. Go slow through the pointed valleys where the pumpkin wall is doing the most work.

5. 5

   Clean up the edges

   Run your blade back through any ragged cuts to sharpen the points and open the gaps fully. Bevel the inside edges of the cutouts slightly so more light spills out and the lobes read crisp. Check each tip from the front to make sure it is fully pierced and not clogged with pulp. A small clay tool or a bamboo skewer helps clear stubborn corners.

6. 6

   Light it and photograph

   Set a battery LED light or a short string of LEDs inside and never use an open flame near thin cutouts. Position the light low and slightly behind the leaves so the glow fills both shapes evenly. Photograph at dusk against a wood table or porch step for that cozy autumn feel. Coat cut edges with a little petroleum jelly to slow drying if you want it to last a few extra days.