How to Make a Life-Size Halloween Ghost

Transform your yard into a spooky scene with this towering, wind-swaying apparition! Learn how to build a sturdy frame, drape layers of cheesecloth, and set the fabric with starch for a hauntingly rea

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This project guides you through constructing a tall ghost frame using a paint roller pole and yardsticks, then covering it with cheesecloth. You will stiffen the upper portion with liquid starch while leaving the bottom loose for movement, add a felt face, and remove the hand supports for a finished, eerie decoration.

Directions

Stack the paint roller extension pole and two yardsticks together to form the ghost's internal frame. Secure the yardsticks to the pole using short, large-headed nails, placing one yardstick above the other.

Locate a sheltered outdoor area and push the bottom of the extension pole into the soil. This temporary anchor will make it much easier to drape the fabric over the structure.

Slide the large foam ball onto the very top of the extension pole to serve as the ghost's head.

Mount one small foam ball onto the tip of each yardstick to represent the ghost's hands.

Start wrapping large pieces of cheesecloth around the frame. Continue layering the fabric back and forth over the structure until you reach your preferred level of coverage.

Fill a spray bottle with Sta-Flo liquid starch and thoroughly soak the head, hands, and arms. Leave the lower body unstarched so the trailing gauze can move freely in the wind. Let the starch dry and harden completely before proceeding.

Cut out eye and mouth shapes from the black felt sheet. Apply fabric glue to the back of the felt pieces and press them onto the foam head to create the ghost's face.

Carefully pull the two small foam balls out from beneath the cheesecloth layers.