Cheesecloth Ghost is Cute for Halloween

Learn how to make a cheesecloth ghost for Halloween the easy way, with fabric stiffener! You can make these in any size you like with this method.

Skills Required: Beginner. If you’ve never worked with fabric stiffener before, it isn’t hard but it can be a little bit messy. You might want to try a smaller ghost first with a small piece of cheesecloth before making something larger.

I’m REALLY excited about today’s Halloween craft. If you’ve never made a cheesecloth ghost (also known as a Stiffy ghost) before, you need to stop whatever you’re doing right now.

Do not “pass Go,” do not collect $200 – it’s time to head to the craft store! You’re going to need only a few supplies to make this awesome Halloween decor.

For those new to fabric stiffener, it’s a pretty simple premise. Whatever you dip into the stiffener becomes “stiff” when dry. That includes cheesecloth, fabric, and other lightweight materials.

That doesn’t mean your finished item is totally rock hard, but it’s pretty solid and can support itself. Just like this Halloween ghost.

The key to any project with fabric stiffener is creating a solid mold (otherwise known as an armature) that you can drape the fabric or cloth over.

You’re going to wet the fabric with the stiffener, then hang it over the mold. The mold needs to be able to retain its shape until the stiffener is dry.

In this case once the ghost is dry, you can remove the mold. Then your ghost stands on its own! And that’s the basic premise.

I will walk you through it, but understand that you can use this idea to make cheesecloth ghosts any size you like. Ideally you could make one as large as a person if you could make the mold big enough (please don’t use a real human).

There are four basic steps to this Stiffy ghost project. You’re going to make your mold, cut and wet the cheesecloth, drape it over the form (let dry), and then remove the mold to finish.

You can add glow in the dark paint or eyes and mouth when all is said and done if you like. I find it makes the ghost more kid friendly somehow. However you want to decorate it, I’ll leave that up to you!

Gather These Supplies

• Cheesecloth – I bought a pack from Hobby Lobby that was 6 yards x 36″ wide
• Mod Podge Stiffy
• Aluminum foil
• Wax paper
• Styrofoam ball (or other round object for the head)
• Old coffee creamer bottle (or something similar for the body)
• Scissors
• Bowl
• Glow in the dark paint (optional)
• Black Sharpie or cardstock (optional)
• Dropcloth (optional)

Tips and Thoughts for This Project

There are two things you should know before you get started. First of all, it’s a good idea to have a plastic drop cloth to cover your work surface so that you don’t get Stiffy everywhere. Note that you can reuse the drop cloth for other projects. Just let everything dry and fold it up.

Secondly, you’re welcome to get creative with the body of your cheesecloth ghost. I used a coffee creamer bottle with the top cut off. Both the arms and head fit nicely and make it easy.

But you can use a variety of items. You could even use a dowel rod with a base. You just need something to support the head and arms – something stable so that the mold holds while the ghost is drying.

If you choose to paint, you can use acrylic paint and go right over the top of the fabric stiffener. You can use paint pens to draw on eyes and a mouth. I chose to leave mine plain. I don’t know – it seems more spooky that way!

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I hope you enjoyed this Stiffy ghost! Let me know what you think about this Halloween craft for adults in the comments! I hope you’ll also check out the following projects:

• Mummy Halloween Luminaries in Three Steps!
• Dollar Tree Wooden Ghost Decor
• DIY Spooky Pumpkins (Dollar Tree Supplies!)
• “Skeleton Trapped in Candy Corn” Halloween Decor