Free lantern SVG files

Pictures of lanterns

The candle lantern is a frame round an open window, and the candle inside stands on the base so the design stays in one piece. The posts of the frame are nearly 5 mm wide when the lantern is 100 mm tall, which cuts well in vinyl from 60 mm and in wood from 100 mm. The Christmas lantern adds pine needles about 2 mm wide, so keep that one at 100 mm or more whatever you cut it from.

The wedding lantern has a solid front with hearts cut through it. Cut it from card, stick vellum behind the hearts and stand it in front of a battery candle for a table decoration that glows.

Patterns that become paper lanterns

Four designs are flat patterns. The paper lantern to cut and roll is the classic school craft: a sheet with slits and a handle. The star, hexagon and valentine patterns are strips of panels with windows, a glue tab at one end and small notches top and bottom that show where to fold. Cut them from card of 160 to 220 gsm at 250 mm long or more, glue vellum or tissue behind the windows, fold and glue the tab. Use battery tea lights only, never a real flame.

How to open the files

• Cricut Design Space: choose Upload, pick the SVG, and add it to the canvas. Set the width you want; the shape is already welded.
• Silhouette Studio: Designer Edition and above open the SVG. The free Basic Edition does not, so open the DXF instead.
• LightBurn, xTool Creative Space and Glowforge: import the SVG, then set the layer to cut, score or engrave.
• Inkscape, Illustrator and Affinity: open the SVG. It is a plain filled path, so you can recolour it, add a stroke or combine it with your own work.
• Printing or sublimation: use the PNG, which has a transparent background.

Each design page lists the file’s narrowest part at seven sizes, so you can tell whether it will survive at the size you plan to cut.

Questions