Love and Laundry

diy, crafts, recipes

Floating {Cheesecloth} Ghost

by

I got to share this project earlier this month over at eighteen25. Just in case you missed it, here ya go!

Floating Cheesecloth Ghost by www.loveandlaundry.com

When I was a little girl, my mom had a couple of these cute ghosts on our piano during Halloween. I remember thinking they really floated not knowing that it was starch that held them up. This year, I decided it was time to make some for my kids to experience.  I called my mom to get the how-to.  She said she used liquid starch, which is kind of hard to come by. Plus, it’s a lot of money to spend on a ghost or two. So, I found a better and cheaper way to make these.


Here’s what you need:

Floating Cheesecloth Ghost by www.loveandlaundry.com

Cheesecloth (I just found mine in the baking section of the grocery store and it was about $3. I used the whole package for one ghost. I cut it in half and used 2 layers to make it sturdier)
Black felt
Cornstarch
Water
Any kind of “make-shift” stand to support the cheesecloth while it dries out

First, you start by making homemade liquid starch

Pour 2 cups of water into a microwave safe container. Then, add one cup of cornstarch and mix it really well.

Floating Cheesecloth Ghost by www.loveandlaundry.com

Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in-between, until it gets thick. Mine took about 2 minutes total. This is kind of what you’re going for:

Floating Cheesecloth Ghost by www.loveandlaundry.com

Set that aside and let it cool off a little bit. You don’t want it to get cold, though.

Meanwhile, set up your “make-shift” stand. You can use cups, balloons, Styrofoam balls. Whatever you can find to make the right shape and size. You just want to make sure you can pull it out from under the cheesecloth once it’s dry. Balloons are nice because you can pop them. I didn’t have any balloons on had, so here’s what I used:

Floating Cheesecloth Ghost by www.loveandlaundry.com

I put some freezer paper on the table so that the ghost would have something to sit on (besides the table) while it dried.

Next, I cut the cheesecloth in half. I wanted to make my ghost a little sturdier. Coat each piece of cheesecloth with the cornstarch. It took a little bit of working it in. You want to make sure it is completely coated.

Floating Cheesecloth Ghost by www.loveandlaundry.com

Drape the pieces of cheesecloth one at a time over your make-shift stand and make sure you arrange it how you want it. Once it’s dry, you can’t really change anything.

Floating Cheesecloth Ghost by www.loveandlaundry.com

Once you’ve got it perfect, allow it to completely dry. Mine took overnight. When it’s stiff, carefully remove the cheesecloth from the mold and glue on two felt eyes.

Floating Cheesecloth Ghost by www.loveandlaundry.com

It’s really hard to capture on camera, but the ghost is completely see-through and looks like it’s just floating!

Floating Cheesecloth Ghost by www.loveandlaundry.com

 I’m linking this post up to these parties.

There’s more to this post! Click to keep reading.

Comments

  4. Bonny Yokeley says

    These are awesome! I remember making very small ones in Girl Scouts YEARS ago but forgot all about them until I saw yours. These would be a fun addition to our decorations, so I’m going to make them with my kids. Also, thanks for joining in on the booing game. Your blog is adorable.

    Bonny @ thedomesticatedprincess.blogspot.com

  7. Gen says

    I loved it when I saw it at eighteen25, and I still love, so incredibly COOL! Your kids must really get a kick out of it!

  12. Mindi@MyLove2Create says

    I was seriously thinking about these just the other day! I have a very similar memory, I totally remember my mom making them. I was thinking of calling her and asking how, now I don’t need to…Thanks!

  16. bcarrot says

    I just wanted to say this ghost is super adorable! I really wanted to make one, so I bought the supplies last night. I’m wondering about the cheesecloth I bought. It’s 2sq. yards and very long and narrow, only about 12 inches wide. It doesn’t seem like it would work for this project. Do you mind me asking what kind you used? I feel like I would have to make a very tiny ghost with the stuff that I bought.

    • Shatzi @ Love and Laundry says

      I just went to email you and realized that you are a no-reply blogger, so hopefully you’ll come back and see my answer. I bought cheesecloth that is 2 square yards also. I actually thought the same thing. But, it unfolded to 3 feet wide. If it does say 2 square yards on the package, it should open up to be 3 feet x 6 feet. The mesh is so fine, it’s sometimes hard to tell that there are or 3 layers of cheesecloth there. Hope that helps! Feel free to email me at shatziweb(at)gmail(dot)com if you need more help. ;)

      • Jennifer says

        I’m glad I read your response cause I had the same problem! Lol But I went back and sure enough, it opened up once more! Thank you! :)

    • bcarrot says

      I just checked my cheesecloth and it does indeed unfold one more time. I’m so glad! I can now get to making some of these adorable ghosts! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.

  19. Britni @ Hubby Made Me says

    That is so awesome, Shatzi! I so want to try this! I saw one done with liquid starch like you mentioned, but your method sounds so much easier. Pinning for sure! I’m crossing my fingers you’ll share this at my Throwback Thursday party. I hope to see you there and thank you so much for sharing! :)

  21. Rachel says

    My mom had one of those ghosts when we were little too. Yours is so cute! Pinned! My kids will love it. Thanks for sharing at Terrific Tuesdays.
    Rachel
    adventuresofadiymom.blogspot.com

  22. Jess from Coxs Corner says

    My mom totally bought cheesecloth the other day for something else and I called dibs on it! I am so set on making this ghost! It is such a fun halloween project! I can’t wait to make him! Thank you for sharing at Artsy Corner!

    • Lauren Miles says

      I don’t know why you two had difficulty. It was really easy for me. I just wadded up the cheesecloth and worked the starch into it then unfolded it enough to put it on my stand (which was a turned over pumpkin in a vase) then used the stand to hold it while I undid the edges. It got my hands messy but that was about it. It does take alittle more time to dry than I was expecting but that is because I didn’t read her “overnight” part.

      Anyway, for anyone trying it don’t be discouraged! It is really as easy as it looks. Pretty fun too!

  31. Becolorful says

    I tried something like this a number of years ago and it didn’t turn out so well. That was before my blogging years. :D Seeing yours and how to’s makes me think I need to try it again. Thanks for sharing.
    p

  33. kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says

    Shatzi, these are seriously genius!! I’m not even that big of a Halloween person and I’m totally going to have to make one! Super duper creative & cute, girl!!

    {HUGS},
    kristi

  39. [email protected] says

    Fantastic! My weekly linky party–One Creative Weekend–has gone spooky this week in honor of my thirteenth party. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll visit “One Creative Weekend” on OneCreativeMommy.com (open every Fri-Wed) and link up this idea and anything else you’d like to share. (You can include non-Halloween posts as well, but feel free to link up as many Halloween-themed posts as you like.) There are two categories—one for Halloween and one for everything else.

  40. Mariel says

    What a fun project to do with the kids!! So fun I had to pin it. :) I would love to have you stop by ‘Or so she says…’ and share your great ideas at the Saturday link party (runs until Tuesday night…tonight!) I hope to see you there! http://www.oneshetwoshe.com

  48. Mariel says

    Oh, and one more thing…I picked your ghost as one of my two favorites from the party! So, I’ll be featuring it again tomorrow, as well as sharing it on Facebook and Pinterest. Thanks again for sharing at ‘Or so she says…’! (www.oneshetwoshe.com)

  52. mrswhitetwigandtea.com says

    Hi Shatzi-
    Thanks for the great tutorial on your spooky ghosts. I followed your tutorial and posted the results on my blog, Mrs. White Twig and Tea. Thanks for the inspiration! I love your blog!
    -Angela

  55. Carolyn says

    I have a special Halloween spotlight running today and I’ve featured your project.
    Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful creation at homework.

  59. Kim says

    Great idea, but do you get “chunks” on the cheese cloth when you coat it? If so, how do you get rid of the without destroying the ghost? Thanks!

  60. Anonymous says

    I did this project today, and the cornstarch mixture did not turn out what so ever. I microwaved 2 cups of water and one cup of corn starch for 30 seconds at a time for more than 2 minutes and it never got thick. I have 3 very unhappy kids.

  61. Christine says

    I made this today too. The “cooking” times vary by microwave. Mine took a few seconds more than 2 minutes. I had no problems. Just praying they stand once I remove the support.

  64. Len Yesh says

    I have made these as well. Here’s a twist though. If you want to make “arms” like they are flying, you can use a plastic or wire coat hanger and push it up into the ball on the bottom side and just drape the cheesecloth over it. I have also built a simple frame–made a “cross” out of scrap trim pieces and added the ball to that and just pushed it into a flower pot with sand in it or gravel until it dries. I also have used clear spray paint and year water repellant for them to be placed outside in the trees. They did survive the season since we had very little rain.

  66. Amanda Agraviador says

    Helllp! Had no balloons or Styrofoam ball but I used my sons ball and went to remove it this a.m but its stuck! Guna do this project over again n buy balloons jus wana kno would I somehow be able to reuse these clothes ir should I jus buy a new one?

  67. Nedda Rimmington says

    Thanks for sharing this tutorial. I made mine last night and love them! I used small plastic grocery bags bunched up into a ball and taped it onto a 2 litter bottle for the shape of the head. I placed the bottle into a vase for height. It takes a little gentle prying to get the cheesecloth away from any part of the vase it should touch while drying, but a little patience is all it took and they look great! If your paste does not setup in 2 minutes,keep stirring and microwaving in 45 sec. intervals and it will get pasty. My friend is going to make large size ghosts for the yard, cannot wait to see them! Thanks again:)

  68. Anonymous says

    i think you could add a little glow in the dark paint to your starch and they would glow at night on your tabe

  71. Anonymous says

    Hi there :) Just wanted to mention that if you find the starch a bit hard to work with you can also make these by using a mix of Elmer’s White Glue and water instead of the starch. (it will dry clear) I believe it is about a cup of water and a cup of Elmer’s Glue. Just google “Elmer’s glue and cheesecloth ghost” you will find many instruction and videos to show you how. Have Fun :)

  72. Anonymous says

    Try stirring some glow in the dark paint into the cornstarch mix and set it in the sun during the day and it glows at night! We used 1 cup of glue we bought at the dollar tree and a cup of water and just squeezed in some paint, about 1/4 of one of those little bottles.

    • rieloh says

      Where can you find glow in the dark paint? I’ve been trying to find some I want to paint something on my outdoor walkway. Thanks

  73. Anonymous says

    Going to give this a try with the grandkids today, along with the witches brooms. Then there front door way will be ready for Halloween.

  76. kelly says

    Hello
    I am confused when you put the liquid corn starch on your cheese cloth and then on the stand it doesnt stick on the stand? how does that work?
    Thank you
    Kelly :)

  77. Rebecca says

    This is a wonderful tutorial! I cannot wait to try out these floating ghosts myself for a Halloween Birthday Party decorations. Thanks for sharing!

  78. Malika Bourne says

    I LOVE it. Ty1
    I hope you don’t mind, I pinned to my Halloween board for inspiration.

  79. DAWN LAUTENSCHLAGER says

    I am confused on the starch. Its listed as a liquid starch, but it does not look like liquid. It looks more like crisco. Help!

    • Love and Laundry says

      It isn’t exactly liquid – you’re right! It’s actually more like a gel. But you can also use Sta-flo which is a blue liquid starch. I couldn’t find it when I originally did this project, but I’ve seen it at Walmart several times since. Hope that helps!!

      • DAWN LAUTENSCHLAGER says

        I tried making some other ghost with the liquid starch (the one you mentioned) and it did not work very well. Not stiff enough, I think I need to double layer the material. I was wondering if the homemade mixture works better than the liquid. It sure looks less messy.

        • Love and Laundry says

          It is a little bit messy, but it works really well! The cornstarch and water turns into kind of a gel and then you just saturate it in the cornstarch/water mixture. It will end up drying clear.

  80. Jen says

    You can get a 64 Oz bottle of liquis starch at Walmart for less that. $3. That’s less than the cornstarch costs.

    • Love and Laundry says

      Yes! You definitely can! Thank you for sharing that. ;) When I first posted this tutorial, I couldn’t find any liquid starch anywhere, so I made it with homemade starch instead.

  81. Lily says

    Hi there! I thought that this was super cool and I wanted to try it out but unfortunately I don’t own a microwave. Is there another way to make the starch mix?

    • Love and Laundry says

      You should be able to just warm the water and the cornstarch on a stovetop until it thickens. You’ll have to watch it close and stir constantly so that it doesn’t burn.

  82. Diane says

    I made some years ago and use them every year they are fun to have out. Mine have arms however.
    One has a boo sign (paper on a tooth pick) and one has rattling chain.

    • Love and Laundry says

      How fun!! I learned how to make them from my mom when I was a little girl! I love the idea of a sign held up with a toothpick! I may need to make more this year just to incorporate that! Thank you for sharing! ;)

  83. Kylie says

    Quick question I just made mine but it has layers to it how did you place your cheesecloth on the ghost to not have layers? I’ll take a picture to kinda show you what I mean.

    • Love and Laundry says

      A picture would be really helpful! My email is shatziweb (at) gmail (dot) com. I tried to get my cheesecloth to not have layers, but it will naturally layer in some parts. Either way, it should really be fine!

  87. Sherry says

    The mixture made three pretty good size ghosts. Very easy, very messy! So cute! Good project to do with kids, OUTSIDE!

  88. Cindi says

    Wow… it was hard and messy to me. I used the soda bottles and balloons. Maybe that is why. The cheesecloth was heavy and as soon as I put it on, the balloons wouldnt stay straight. I used hot glue to glue the balloons on top of the bottles plus heavy tape to hold them. It still wasnt enough. Definitely need something stable to hold the balloons. It said not to let the cheesecloth get cold but my did by the time I had finished putting it on. Will see how it turns out in the morning.

  91. Momx3 says

    I have old linen single layer drapes. Tried it years ago with the liquid starch, but in never hardened. Do you think linen is too heavy a fabric to make this work? Or is the cornstarch method a stronger hold than the liquid pre-made starch?

Trackbacks

  6. […] course, Halloween has to include ghosts and this post by Love And Laundry is creepy but oh so cute!!  I think this is absolutely amazing….if you want to see just how […]

  18. […] You can find the detailed tutorial at LoveAndLaundry. […]

  20. […] year I made these Cheesecloth Ghosts. They were ridiculously difficult to make and a complete and utter mess! After finally getting them […]