Fall & Thanksgiving Pumpkin Carving Ideas
178 carving ideas to explore
Pumpkins for the whole season, not just the night. Scarecrows, turkeys, sunflowers, falling leaves, and harvest scenes that look right on the porch from the first cool weekend all the way through Thanksgiving.
Fall & Harvest carvings
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Showing 1 to 48 of 178 designs
Build a fall pumpkin around leaves and harvest shapes
Autumn designs work well when their outlines are simple: a lobed leaf, a sunflower, a scarecrow hat, or a turkey's fan-shaped tail. Choose a main motif before adding a border or repeated pattern.
Keep leaf shapes bold
A few broad lobes are easier to carve than many tiny serrations. Use scraped veins inside the leaf rather than cutting every line through. Vary the angle of repeated leaves to create movement.
Simplify feathers and petals
A turkey's tail and a sunflower's petals can be divided into large sections. Leave solid connections between them, and avoid crowding the center with small openings that weaken the pattern.
Plan for the display date
A cut pumpkin is a short-lived decoration, so carve close to the gathering you are decorating for. For a display that starts earlier in the season, consider painted leaves or other no-carve details on an intact pumpkin.
Before you start, explore our pumpkin carving tutorials and guide to carving difficulty levels.
Fall pumpkin carving questions
What pumpkin carving ideas work for fall and Thanksgiving?
Leaves, sunflowers, acorns, scarecrows and turkey silhouettes suit a fall display. Choose one large seasonal shape or a small group of widely spaced leaves so the design stays clear on a curved pumpkin.
How do I carve a leaf or turkey without tiny fragile pieces?
Keep the main outline broad and scrape leaf veins or feather markings. Leave space between nearby leaves and use a few large tail feathers for a turkey instead of many narrow cutouts.
Fall stencils to download
Print, trace, carve. Every PDF is free and sized for 8.5×11.
Explore other categories
Not feeling fall? Try one of these.
How fall stacks up
Live rankings across all 12 categories, by unique visitors over the last 30 days. Updated as new carvings get submitted and viewed.