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Monday, October 1, 2012

Cheesecloth Ghosts | {Tutorial}

I originally wrote this post for Katie over at Katie{did}It! as part of her Halloween Series. But, I wanted to share it with you all too in case you didn't catch it before.
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Supplies:
1. Cheesecloth
2. Liquid Starch, Fabric Stiffener, or any other concoction you know of that will stiffen the cheesecloth. I used this.
3. A small bowl
4. Something to drape your cloth over (I used small craft paint bottles, but really it depends on how large you'd like your ghosts to be)
5. Black acrylic paint

Step 1: Cut out a piece of cheesecloth large enough to drape over the object you're using as your "form." My pieces weren't very big because I was going for some smaller ghosts.

Step 2: Dip cloth in stiffener/starch (whichever you're using) and squeeze out any excess liquid. I watered down my stiffener just a tad since it's kind of thick. Then drape your fabric over your form. Here, adjust the cheesecloth so that it's draping how you'd like it to be when it's stiff. (Sorry there aren't any pictures of this step! My hands were covered in fabric stiffener, so it was a bit difficult to snap a picture!)
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After I draped it over the paint bottle, I pinched the top a bit so my little ghost wouldn't have a flat top. 

Step 3: Allow to dry for several hours. Once dry, remove from form. You should be able to mold it a bit if it's not perfect. Paint on a face, and you're finished! Easy!
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My ghosts were little, but you can make them any size! Some suggestions:
1. You could use a two-liter bottle OR milk jug as your form. 
2. Mine are made to sit on a flat surface. You could put some fishing line in them and hang them. After all, ghosts do float. :) 
3. When storing these guys, it helps to pack them with some plastic bags stuffed up inside of them so that they don't get crushed too easily. 

1 comment:

  1. Super cute, Kelsey! I think I want to try this! What did you use for stiffener and where did you get it? That's something I've never worked with before.

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