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Two large hearts interlock at the center, their outlines woven over and under each other like linked rings, with vine tendrils and autumn leaves flourishing around them. The design is deep relief shading: the background is shaved bright while the woven heart bands stay raised, with no holes pierced. Map the over-under crossings before you carve; keeping the weave consistent is the expert part. This design is rated Expert / Pro and takes most carvers around 240 minutes from trace to glow. Sculpting-grade work. Three or more depth layers, fine detail.
Pumpkin size guide
- 🎃 Small (5–7") — print at 80%
- 🎃 Medium (7–10") — print at 100% (recommended)
- 🎃 Large (11–13") — print at 130%
- 🎃 Giant (14"+) — print at 150% on tabloid paper
Frequently asked questions
Can I resize this stencil?▾
Yes. The PDF is vector so it scales cleanly. Print at 100% for a 7–10 inch pumpkin, 130% for 11–13 inch, or 150% for a giant. Use your printer's "Fit to page" or "Custom scale" setting.
What kind of paper works best?▾
Standard 20 lb letter or A4 printer paper is fine. Heavier paper is harder to bend around the pumpkin curve. If your printer supports it, set the quality to 'best' so the lines are crisp.
How long will the carved pumpkin last?▾
Usually 5–10 days. Coat all cut surfaces with petroleum jelly and store the pumpkin somewhere cool overnight. Avoid direct sun. Battery LED pumpkin lights produce no heat and double the lifespan.
Can I sell pumpkins carved with this stencil?▾
Yes, the carved pumpkin you make is yours. The license covers personal and small-scale commercial carving (selling carved pumpkins, photographing them, posting on social). You may not resell the PDF file itself.
What if my printer doesn't print the whole stencil?▾
Set 'Page scaling' to 'Fit' in the print dialog and uncheck 'Auto-rotate'. If it still cuts off, the design includes 0.25" of safe-area margin so a small crop won't ruin it.
How to carve this stencil
This is a continuous-wall shading design: you never cut all the way through the pumpkin. On the printable pattern, light gray regions get just the skin shaved off for a faint glow, dark gray regions are scraped deeper so more light comes through, and white areas keep their skin untouched. The numbers give you the safest working order. Plan on about 3-4 hours from print to candle.
Set up first. Print the PDF at 100% scale on letter or A4 paper. Cut the lid at an angle, scoop the pumpkin clean, and thin the wall to about 1 inch behind the design so light can pass through the shaded areas. Tape the pattern on (snip small darts in the paper so it hugs the curve) and transfer the outlines by poking dots along every line. Work with a loop tool, clay ribbon scraper, or the back of a spoon rather than a saw.
Shading order
- Establish the interwoven form. Shallow-shave all gray regions, starting at the broad left heart rim marked 1. Keep every white raised heart band and white loop center intact. Follow the unequal front and rear hearts and descending crossed ribbon.
- Deepen four heart bowls. Deepen the four dark-gray interior bowls, with broad examples marked 2. Preserve the white raised bands and pale rims between bowls. The smallest bowl sits within the lower loop; do not join it to its neighbors.
- Model the three lobed leaves. Deepen the three dark-gray leaf faces marked 3, preserving their pale borders and uneven pointed lobes. Keep the top curls and both lower hooks shallow. Check every overlap under an LED without cutting through.
- Finish the two rear glows. Deepen the two dark-gray backdrop fields above the hearts, with the broad right example marked 4. Preserve their pale rims, the pointed left rise and rounded right arch. Keep all upper vines shallow.
Check your progress often: set a bright LED inside and dim the room lights, and the glow shows exactly where to scrape deeper. Go slowly near thin spots and stop before the wall flexes; a pierced wall cannot be undone.
Tools you'll need
For a expert / pro carve like this you'll want a full ribbon tool set, clay sculpting loops, x-acto knife, and dremel (optional). Here's the kit we reach for — start with whatever you already own.
Elmchee Pumpkin Carving Kit
13-piece kit with carrying case
Saws for the larger cutouts, plus a scoop for hollowing. Covers both jobs in one kit.
View on Amazon ↗
HOME MOST LED Pumpkin Lights
4-pack, battery operated, with remote + timer
Orange glow made for jack-o'-lanterns. The remote and timer light the pumpkin every evening without reaching inside.
View on Amazon ↗
Speedball 4131 Lino Cutter Set
Handle + 5 interchangeable cutters
Interchangeable cutters for peeling and shading the face. Useful for the finer details.
View on Amazon ↗
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AdvancedEntwined Hearts & Leafy Vines
Two interlocking hearts sit at the center of this romantic design, their looping outlines woven together and trailing off into curling vines and small leaves at each corner. The whole motif is shaved into the skin as pale relief lines, so the pumpkin wall stays intact and the pattern shows clearly by daylight or candlelight. Follow the vine curves in long continuous strokes to keep the linework flowing and even.
AdvancedTwo Profiles Within a Heart
A large heart is cut out of the pumpkin, but two facing profiles are left standing in the middle of the opening, so a couple appears to lean toward each other in silhouette against the glow. The heart interior is removed while the joined profile column stays attached at the bottom point. This is a hard carve because those noses, lips, and chins are thin; use a fresh fine blade and cut away from the profiles, never into them.
IntermediateInterlocking Double Hearts
Two large hearts overlap and interlock, their outlines woven so one band passes over and under the other like linked rings. Nothing is pierced: you shave away only the skin along the heart outlines, leaving pale glowing bands against the untouched orange wall. Sketch the over-under crossings on the pumpkin before you shave, since keeping those weave points straight is the trick to this medium-level etch.
IntermediateSix Hearts and Tiny Top Heart
Six hearts arranged in a ring point inward toward the center, with a tiny seventh heart crowning the top and small round dots filling the gaps between them like beads on a wreath. Every heart and dot is cut fully through, creating a lantern that throws a circle of glowing hearts across the porch. For this medium carve, poke a starter hole in each heart and cut the notch last; the dots are quick work with an apple corer or drill bit.
IntermediateEight Hearts and Eight Dots
Eight hearts arranged in a ring, each one pointing outward like petals on a wreath, with eight small round dots glowing in the gaps between them; the center of the pumpkin stays solid. Every heart and dot is cut through, turning the whole design into a radiant circular pattern. A medium carve that rewards accuracy: trace the stencil carefully so the ring stays even, and drill the dots before sawing the hearts around them.
AdvancedWinged Heart Pumpkin Stencil
A large heart with feathered wings spread wide anchors this hard pumpkin stencil, with a scrolling banner ribbon below carrying decorative curl accents. The heart is kept solid as pumpkin flesh while the wing feather gaps and banner interior are cut through, creating a tattoo-style composition that glows with intricate layered detail. The individual feather separations along each wing are narrow and numerous; carve them starting at the outermost wingtip and working toward the heart so the wing stays attached to the body of the pumpkin longest.