Halloween Suncatchers

Three suncatchers for a window: a pumpkin, a ghost, and a bat against the moon. The frames are cut from black paper, and the openings are filled with pieces of colored tracing paper sandwiched between two layers of clear self-adhesive film. Held up to the light, the tracing paper glows like colored glass.

• Medium
• 3 suncatchers
• 11 black pieces
• 4 tracing paper colors

Make it with your phone cameraLesson code: 1071

On VanGami the template appears over your sheet through your phone camera — no printer needed. Trace it, cut, fold and glue. Below are all the steps in text.

What you’ll need

• Letter sheet — office paper, 80 gsm (20 lb)
• Markers
• Pencil — and eraser
• Scissors — small
• Tape — clear, wide
• Ruler — 8–12 in
• Clear self-adhesive film — for covering textbooks, a 17¾ × 11¾ in piece
• Colored tracing paper or tissue paper — orange, yellow, light blue, purple — a quarter of a Letter sheet each
• Sheet of white paper — base sheet: colors show up on it
• Lid or shot glass — about 2 in across: for tracing the moon circle
• Threads — three, 11¾ in each
• Glass — phone stand

Steps

Trace

1. Pumpkin: outline. Trace the pumpkin with its stem and the three windows; the strips between them are the ribs, and they stay. The template is a view from the back: the finished stained glass will come out mirrored, as in the first picture.
2. Pumpkin face: outlines. Two triangle eyes, a nose, and a smile with two teeth — four separate pieces.
3. Ghost: outline. An outer line with a wavy hem and the same line inside it, 3/16–¼ in from the edge. The frame is the space between them.
4. Ghost face: outlines. Three ovals: two eyes and a mouth.
5. Moon: outline. Two circles: an outer one and a window inside it. That leaves a ring 3/16–¼ in wide.
6. Bat: outline. Trace the whole silhouette: ears, wings with points, and a little tail.

Color

7. Black. The paper is white, but these parts should be this color on both sides: color them up to the outline, then turn the sheet over and color the back.

Cut

8. Cut out: pumpkin frame. Cut the pumpkin out along the outer line. Cut the three windows with a craft knife on cardboard: the ribs between them are narrow, so run the knife from the rib toward the frame.
9. Cut out: pumpkin face — 4 pcs. Cut out the eyes, nose, and smile. For the tooth notches, make two short cuts toward the corner.
10. Cut out: ghost frame. Cut the ghost out along the outer line. Cut the window with a knife or nail scissors, starting from a hole pierced in the middle; don’t make the frame narrower: it’s only 3/16–¼ in.
11. Cut out: ghost face — 3 pcs. Cut out the three ovals — it’s easier with nail scissors, turning the paper as you go.
12. Cut out: moon ring. Cut out the circle, then the window inside it: that leaves a ring 3/16–¼ in wide.
13. Cut out: bat. Cut out the bat. Cut the wing points with short cuts from the edge toward the corner, turning the paper.
14. Cut the tracing paper. Cut the tracing paper of each color into strips ⅝–¾ in wide, then cut the strips into little squares; they don’t need to be neat. From the yellow one, also cut a circle ⌀ 2 in — that’s the moon: trace a lid or a shot glass.

Pumpkin

15. Film, sticky side up. Cut two pieces from the film, 5⅞ × 5⅛ in each. Peel the backing off one and lay it on the white sheet sticky side up.
16. Frame onto the film. Lay the pumpkin frame on the film with the pencil lines facing up and press it down all along the outline — ribs and stem included.
17. Pumpkin face. Lay the eyes, nose, and smile on the film inside the frame: the eyes go over the ribs, the nose between them, the smile below. The film grabs on contact, so test the fit in the air first.
18. Tracing paper. Cover the windows with pieces of tracing paper: first scatter the yellow ones around, then add the orange ones, overlapping, until no sticky spots are left in the windows. Where there are two layers, the color is deeper.
19. Second layer of film. Peel the backing off the second piece and cover the suncatcher sticky side down: lay down one edge and smooth with your palm toward the other, pushing the air out.
20. Trim and flip. Trim the film around the frame, leaving a 1/16–⅛ in margin: the film layers will stick together and seal the edge. Flip it over — that’s the front.

Ghost

21. Frame and face. Same as before: two pieces of film, 4⅛ × 5⅛ in. One goes sticky side up; lay the ghost frame on it, and inside the frame, two eyes and a mouth.
22. Tracing paper. Cover the window with light blue pieces, overlapping, and add five or six purple ones on top: held up to the light, they’ll make darker patches.
23. Cover and trim. Cover with the second piece of film, smooth it out, and trim leaving a 1/16–⅛ in margin — follow the wavy hem in a smooth line. Flip it face up.

Moon

24. Ring and bat. Two pieces of film, 4¾ × 4¾ in, one of them sticky side up. Lay the ring on it and the bat across the ring: the wing tips rest on the ring.
25. Moon and sky. Lay the yellow circle right on top of the bat — above and to the right of the middle of the window, ⅛ in from the ring; the top is where the bat’s ears are. Cover the rest with purple pieces: around the circle, overlapping its edge slightly.
26. Cover and trim. Cover with the second piece of film, smooth it out, and trim around in a circle leaving a 1/16–⅛ in margin. Flip it over: the bat is flying across the moon.

Hang

27. Threads. Tape a 11¾ in thread to each suncatcher — with a piece of tape on the back, near the top edge of the frame. On the pumpkin, attach it to the stem.

Check

28. Toward the light. Tape the free ends of the threads to the window frame — or hang the suncatchers in front of a lamp. Held up to the light, the tracing paper glows, and double layers look darker.

Done. The suncatchers are done. They look brightest in a window during the day — or in front of a lamp in the evening.

Make it with your phone camera

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