How to Make a Ghost

Halloween is a day to celebrate all things creepy and spooky. One way to make the most ordinary house into a properly creepy haunted mansion is by creating your own Halloween decorations. Making a Halloween ghost is a simple and fun craft that Halloween fans of all ages can enjoy. Follow these steps to make a ghost.

Things You'll Need

• Heavy-duty wire
• Cheesecloth
• Scissors
• Spray adhesive
• Spray starch
• Spray paint or spray glitter (optional)

Instructions

1. Bend lengths of heavy-duty wire into the desired shape of your ghost. It may be helpful to decide the dimensions of your finished ghost beforehand,cut lengths of wire to make it easier to work with and then twist them together. Make the body of your ghost wide enough that you will have room to drape the cheesecloth.

2. Lay the cheesecloth over the frame to determine how wide and long it will need to be when draped over the frame. Use a pencil to lightly mark the outline where you will cut out your ghost shape.

3. Fold the cheesecloth over itself three or four times so that you will have multiple cut-outs of your ghost.

4. Drape the first layer of cheesecloth over the wire frame, and anchor it to the frame in several places using the spray adhesive.

5. Spray the cheesecloth all over with the spray starch, stretching the cheesecloth tightly over the top half of the frame. At the bottom of the frame, pull out loose folds of the cheesecloth and spray them so that they will stand on their own when dry and appear to be fluttering in the wind. It may help to temporarily hold the folds of cheesecloth away from the frame using toothpicks or straws until it is dry enough to stand on its own.

6. Dry the first layer of cheesecloth completely before proceeding with other layers.

7. Repeat the process you completed with the bottom layer with the other layers of cheesecloth, lifting extra folds of cheesecloth away from the bottom of the ghost in various directions so that the draped and fluttering effect is visible from all directions. Remember to dry each consecutive layer completely before layering on top of it.

8. Use scissors to fray the edges of the cheesecloth in various places by carefully pulling the sharp length of the scissors blade across the fabric against its grain repeatedly. Doing this to various degrees will give your ghost a more authentically spooky appearance. You may even want to carefully fray holes into folds of the fabric to make your ghost look a bit more bedraggled and haunting.

9. Spray paint features onto your ghost if desired or use glow-in-the-dark or glitter spray to add extra details. Be sure to place a piece of cardboard or paper behind your ghost prior to spraying as spray paint will go through the cheesecloth and could stain your work surface.

Tips & Warnings

• Work in a ventilated area when applying spray adhesive and spray starch.

• Keep your finished ghost away from candles or any sort of open flame.

Resources

• Easy Halloween Craft Projects on Craftbits.com