CARVING GUIDE

How to use a pumpkin stencil and transfer it

To use a pumpkin stencil, print it at actual size, tape it flat over the smoothest side of the pumpkin, and poke holes along every edge so the design shows on the skin. Then peel the paper off and cut the black areas, smallest pieces first. Here is each step, plus when to carve and how to make a stencil of your own.

The short version

1. Print the stencil at 100% and measure the scale bar.
2. Pick the smoothest side of the pumpkin and check the design fits.
3. Trim the paper and cut slits so it lies flat on the curve.
4. Tape it down firmly.
5. Transfer every edge with pin holes, a pounce wheel or transfer paper.
6. Peel the paper off and keep it beside you as a map.
7. Cut the small inner pieces first, then the big outer ones.

Print at actual size

In the print dialog, choose "Actual size", "100%" or "Scale: 100". Turn off "Fit to page". Fit to page quietly shrinks the design, and a smaller design has thinner strips of pumpkin holding it together.

If the stencil has a scale bar, measure it with a ruler before you do anything else. Every page of our stencils has a bar that should measure 50 mm, just under 2 inches. If it is off by more than a millimeter, fix the setting and print again. How to print a stencil at actual size covers computers, phones, print shops and patterns that span several pages.

Our free stencils print at 180 mm (about 7 inches) wide including the white margin, on Letter or A4 paper.

Choose the side of the pumpkin

Turn the pumpkin slowly and pick the flattest, smoothest side with no bruises or deep ribs across it. Hold the printed stencil against it. You want at least an inch (2 to 3 cm) of pumpkin showing all around the design. If it doesn't fit, use a bigger pumpkin or pick a smaller design rather than shrinking the print. How to pick a pumpkin for carving helps if you haven't bought one yet.

Clean the pumpkin out before you transfer the design. Open it from the back or bottom, scoop it out and scrape the wall behind the design to about an inch thick. Doing this first means you won't smudge your dots while you scrape. The step-by-step carving guide covers opening and cleaning.

Fit the paper to the curve

Flat paper on a round pumpkin wrinkles, and wrinkles shift the design. To make it lie flat:

1. Trim the extra paper, leaving a border of about an inch around the design.
2. Cut slits from the edge of the paper toward the design, every 2 inches (5 cm) or so. Stop before you reach the design.
3. Pleat the paper: let the flaps between the slits overlap a little as you press the stencil around the curve. Start from the center of the design and smooth outward.
4. Tape the paper down along every edge with masking or painter's tape. Dry the skin first, because tape won't stick to a damp pumpkin. A couple of push pins in the corners help if the tape keeps lifting.

Check the design still looks right from the front. A face that has slid sideways is easy to fix now and hard to fix later.

Transfer the design

On our stencils, the black areas are the parts you cut out and the white areas stay as pumpkin. You only need to transfer the edges where black meets white.

Pin poke or pounce wheel

This is the most common method and works on any pumpkin. Use the poker tool from a carving kit, a push pin or a thick needle. Poke through the paper along every edge, about 3 to 5 mm apart, closer around eyes and other small details. A pounce wheel, a small toothed wheel sold for sewing and in some carving kits, rolls along the lines and is faster on long smooth curves. Pressing just through the skin is enough.

Flour or chalk dusting

Pin holes are hard to see on orange skin. After you peel the paper off, rub a pinch of flour or chalk dust over the dots and brush off the extra. The powder sits in the holes and shows the design clearly. You can also join the dots with a washable marker and wipe off any leftover lines with a damp cloth when you finish.

Carbon or graphite transfer paper

Slip a sheet of graphite transfer paper, dark side down, between the stencil and the pumpkin, then trace over the lines with a ballpoint pen. It leaves a gray line instead of dots. It works best on a smooth, dry, light-colored pumpkin and on simple designs, since it is hard to keep the paper flat on a strong curve.

Cutting through the paper

For a simple design with a few big shapes, you can leave the stencil taped on and saw straight through paper and pumpkin together. It is quick, but the paper gets wet and tears as you go, so it is not a good fit for detailed patterns.

Which pieces to cut first

Cut away the black areas. Start with the small pieces in the middle of the design, such as eyes, nostrils and the gaps between teeth, and finish with the big outer pieces. Large openings weaken the wall, and you need that wall firm while you do the fine work.

• Saw straight in and out with gentle strokes. Don't twist the saw.
• Cut big black areas into two or three smaller pieces and push them out from inside.
• Keep the narrow white strips. They are the bridges that hold the kept pieces in place.
• Keep the paper stencil next to you as a map. Dots are easy to misread once you are halfway through, and the paper shows at a glance which side of a line is black.

Start with an easy design such as the classic jack-o'-lantern face or cute face. Pumpkin carving tools lists what is worth buying.

When to carve pumpkins

A carved pumpkin usually lasts a few days up to a week, and less in hot or wet weather, because the cut surfaces dry out and grow mold. Carve 1 to 3 days before the night you want to show it, such as Halloween or a party. You can buy the pumpkin, print the stencil and check the fit earlier, since an uncut pumpkin kept cool and dry holds for weeks. How long do carved pumpkins last? covers what helps them keep.

How to make your own pumpkin stencil

For a simple design, draw it on paper and fill in the parts you want to cut with black marker. Keep shapes bold and at least a finger's width apart. Then check every white area: if it is completely surrounded by black, it has nothing holding it and will fall out when you carve, so draw in a white strip to join it to the rest.

For a stencil of your own pet or family, you need a photo turned into black and white shapes. You can do that in photo software, or CarveKin can do it for you: you crop the photo, pick from a few designs and print the PDF at a size you choose, checked so the pieces stay attached. One pattern is $4.99. How to carve a pumpkin from a photo explains the whole process.

Make a pattern from your photo ↘

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