This fabric stiffened
ghost is a very fun Halloween decoration to make, and it is much easier
than it looks. The end result is very eerie, because the
ghost doesn't have anything supporting it at all. Children
will love picking it up and checking it underneath.
The hollowness inside is achieved by using a fabric stiffener
to the white cloth and allowing it to dry overnight. The
result is quite ghostly!
Things Needed to make a
Fabric Stiffened Ghost:
- A square piece of white cloth (I used an
old sheet) OR cheese cloth, about 18 inches X 18 inches (size
ultimately depends on your mold)
- Fabric stiffener or liquid starch
- Bowl or pail to mix fabric stiffener in
(disposable is best)
- Styrofoam cone (I used one that was 9
inches tall, 4 inch base)
- Styrofoam ball or egg ( I used one that
was 7 inches in circumference)
- Coat hanger, or other long strong wire
- Wire cutters
- Wax paper
- Aluminum foil
- Toothpick
- Black Marker
- Newspapers to protect work area
1. Begin the fabric stiffened ghost by making the ghost mold.
You can get creative and try some different ways.
By far, I have found the most easiest is to use a styrofoam
cone and egg shape. You can re-use the cone and egg for
another purpose when you are finished. Begin by poking a
toothpick halfway into the styrofoam egg or ball halfway.
Then, use this as an anchor to attach the ball to the cone.
2. Next, use the wire cutters to cut off the bottom straight
part of a coat hanger. Thread this coat hanger wire through
the top of the cone, to be the support for the arms.
 
3.
Add some foil around the arms to give them some more girth.
Place your mold on top of some wax paper.
4.
Cover your entire work area with newspapers. This
is going to be messy! Pour some fabric stiffener or starch
into a bowl. Saturate your white cloth in the fabric
stiffener. Make sure it is all covered.
 
5.
Lift out the cloth, letting the excess fabric stiffener drip
off. Then, drape the cloth over the mold. This part
will be a little messy. Take your time. Once it is on, adjust
all the fabric to be even on the front and back and sides.
Adjust any folds. The way you see it now is how your final
product will be, so make any adjustments now. If you have to
re-apply the cloth, do so until you get the desired look. At
the bottom of the ghost, make sure the fabric touches the base well
(the wax paper). The ghost will have no other way to stand up than the
fabric falling on the base, so adjust this so it will have good
stability. Use props to help lift the arms if needed... here
you see I used some glasses to add support to the arms. Allow
the fabric stiffened ghost to dry overnight.
 
6.
When the ghost is dry, carefully remove all the inner mold
parts. This is the fun part! Take your time, and rest assured
everything will come out and the ghost will snap back to normal!
The last thing to do is to use a marker to add the face.
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