Sally from The Peanuts cutting eyeholes in a white sheet to use as a ghost costume
Kooky Crafts

Friendly Ghost
by Loraine Wauer-Ferus
[originally from BillyBear4Kids.com]

Materials Needed

a cartoony drawing of the finished ghost project in a window an example of fabric cut in a circle

Take your white material (thin white cotton works good)... lay the cloth on a large sized table. Cut off the edges to create a circle (as shown by the green areas in our sample). Don't worry about making a perfect circle, it isn't neccesary to be an exact circle in shape. The size of the circle depends on the size ghost you are wanting to make.

an example of a blown-up balloon and a makeshift base

Blow up a balloon. Place the open end of the oatmeal container up. The balloon should set good on the container. (For a smaller sized ghost, smaller containers can be use. Cans can even be used, but you have to make sure that there are no sharp edges... this may cause the balloon to pop.

an example a balloon taped to a makeshift base

Use the masking tape to hold the ballon in place. Many pieces may be needed. Take the piece of cardboard (We use cardboard from an old box) and tape a piece of waxed paper onto the cardboard. Set the container onto a piece of cardboard covered with waxed paper, and tape this down so everything is nice and secured.

an example fabric in a bowl of fabric stiffener

Pour some of the fabric stiffener into the bowl (make sure you read the directions). Place the circle cloth into the bowl, and pour more fabric stiffener onto the cloth. Use an old spoon or use your hand to mix the fabric stiffener and cloth together (some that use their hands for mixing like to put on rubber gloves). Make sure that the fabric stiffener is soaked into the cloth. Then as you take the cloth out of the bowl, ring out the excess fabric stiffener. The excess can be poured back into the fabric stiffener's container to be used again.

NOTE: I've heard that they now make glow in the dark fabric stiffener, but I have not found any in the area I live.

an example of a plain ghost figure

Open the cloth. Find the middle of the circle, and place this on the top of the balloon. Hold the center with one hand, while you lay the cloth around your base (the ballon and container). Smooth the fabric using your hands, and or your spoon. You can fold the edges of the cloth under so the tattered edge doesn't show. Once you like the way it looks, set this in an area to dry. We usually allow our ghost to dry over night.

an example of two oval-shaped ghost eyes

Take the piece of felt and cut out two nice sized ghost eyes. We show them here as ovals... but circle eyes are nice too.

an example of the finished ghost

Once the ghost's body is dry, you can remove him from the base (ballon set up). He should be good and dry so he can stand without any support. Next put a dab of fabric stiffner (or white glue) onto the back of the eye, and put that on the ghost's head. You can also add ribbon... for a nice bow... or ribbon curls for hair.

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