Fox Lantern / Lamp Shade – Multi-Purpose Light for St. Martin, Tealight, or IKEA Fado

I designed this lantern when we needed a quick and simple St. Martin lantern for our little one — and I wanted to see how such a project could be made efficiently and with minimal material using a 3D printer.

The result is a versatile fox-themed lantern that can be used in three different ways:

1. as a lantern for traditional processions like St. Martin’s parade
2. as a table lantern or lamp using a tealight as the light source
3. as a lampshade for an IKEA Fado lamp

The fox motif is created in a clean vector style and printed in multiple colors using SVG-based layers. The design uses two thin 0.4 mm panels (two 0,2mm layers) to allow the light to shine beautifully through.

Construction details:

• Lantern body consists of two curved panels joined into a cylinder using interlocking tabs
• Diameter: 140 mm, Height: 165 mm
• Created using SVG-based layered graphics (use Prusaslicer v2.7 or higher!)
• File is structured for single-extruder printers using virtual extruder color changes (no MMU required)
• Printed with color sequence: white → black → orange → white → black
• Four top/bottom rings included:
  • with loops for hanging wire (for lantern use)
  • with tealight holder in the center
  • for IKEA Fado lamp mounting
  • flat cover ring, usable as top or bottom closure
• Rings include alignment pins that fit precisely into the holes of the motif panels for stability

Printing recommendations:

• 0,2 mm structural preset
• printed in PLA, but PETG should also work well
• the filament should not contain too much pigments (like cheap Sunlu filament)
• No supports required