Halloween Crafts for Honolulu Families: Cheesecloth Ghosts
Drape, spray and dry your way to these standout spooky ghosts.
Photo: David Croxford
Materials
- Cheesecloth—one for each ghost you plan to make
- Liquid starch such as Sta Flo
- Spray bottle
- Wire hanger
- Styrofoam ball
- Large soda bottle
Directions
- Place soda bottle on several old towels or sheets. This will catch excess starch sprayed on the ghost.
- Carve a hole in the styrofoam ball so that it fits on top of the soda bottle.
- Straighten the hanger. Wrap it once around the soda bottle right underneath the styrofoam ball and arrange it for the ghost arms.
- Drape the cheesecloth over the form, allowing the material to pool at the bottom. This will be the base of the ghost and allow it to stand up. We unwrapped the entire cheesecloth, folded it in half, then draped it over the styrofoam ball and wire.
- Spray the cheesecloth liberally–the more starch you use, the stiffer your ghost will be.
- While the cheesecloth is still damp you can arrange it.
- Allow the cheesecloth to dry or you can use a hairdryer to speed the process up. We left ours out overnight and it was dry.
- Carefully lift the cheesecloth off the base. Cut some eyes out of felt, material or paper and glue them to the ghost.
Our Tips
- Make sure you have enough cheesecloth pooling at the bottom, as this will be holding the ghost up.
- Be patient. It takes some time for the starch to dry completely, especially if there is rainy weather or high humidity. You may need to respray these every year.
- If you want a taller ghost, put the soda bottle on top of a box or overturned bowl.
- Do not use newspapers or paper towels on the bottom instead of towels or sheets. The starch will stick to paper as it dries.
Thanks to everydayiscraftingday.com for the instructions.
Want more craft and treat ideas? See our Halloween Corner for those and our full roundup of spooky events on O‘ahu.
