You've seen them. Those stiff, floating, ethereal figures haunting porches and entryways every October. They look like they cost fifty bucks at a high-end boutique, but honestly? They’re just cheap fabric and glue. Making ghosts from cheesecloth is one of those DIY projects that feels like a rite of passage for anyone who takes spooky season seriously. It’s messy. Your fingers will get sticky. You might even ruin a tablecloth in the process. But the result is miles better than any plastic store-bought decoration because no two ghosts ever look the same.
There is a specific kind of magic in how a limp piece of cotton transforms into a sculptural piece of art. It’s basically chemistry meets craft. You’re taking a loosely woven gauze—originally designed for straining curds in cheesemaking—and saturating it with a hardening agent. When it dries, the fabric holds its shape, creating a "frozen in time" look that captures the light perfectly.
The Science of the Stiffener
Don't just grab whatever glue is in the junk drawer. While many people swear by simple white school glue (like Elmer’s) mixed with water, professional prop makers often lean toward fabric stiffeners like Stiffy or even heavy-duty spray starch. If you use a 1:1 ratio of glue to water, you get a decent hold, but it can be susceptible to humidity. If you live somewhere damp, like Seattle or New Orleans, your ghosts might start to "melt" or sag after a week on the porch.
For a more permanent, outdoor-ready version, some crafters actually use exterior-grade wood glue diluted with water. It dries with a slight yellow tint, which sounds bad, but it actually gives the ghost an "aged" or "vintage" look that is way creepier than stark white.
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What You'll Actually Need (The Non-Fluff List)
Forget the "kits." You probably have most of this stuff.
- Cheesecloth: Get the Grade 10 or Grade 40 stuff. Grade 10 is very loose and airy; Grade 40 is tighter. Most hardware stores or grocery stores carry it in the kitchen or painting aisle.
- A Form: This is the "skeleton." Balloons are the classic choice, but they pop or deflate. A small craft foam ball on top of a soda bottle is a much more stable rig.
- Hardening Liquid: White glue, fabric stiffener, or even cornstarch boiled with water if you’re going old-school.
- The Stand: You need something to hold your form up while it dries. A tall jar, a 2-liter bottle, or even a dowel rod stuck into a piece of wood.
- Vaseline: If you’re using a form you want to keep, coat it in petroleum jelly so the glue doesn't stick to it forever.
Getting the Drape Right
The biggest mistake people make? Using one single layer of cloth.
It looks thin. It looks cheap. It looks like a napkin.
To get that haunting, multi-dimensional look, you need to layer. Cut your cheesecloth into various lengths. Some should be long enough to trail on the floor; others should be shorter capes that add volume around the "shoulders." When you dip the cloth into your stiffener, don't just wring it out until it's bone dry. Leave it saturated enough that it’s heavy.
Drape the first layer over your form. Pull at the edges. Shred them. Use a wire brush or even your fingernails to fray the bottom. This isn't a bedsheet ghost from a 1950s cartoon; you want it to look like it’s been wandering the moors for a century.
Making Ghosts From Cheesecloth: The Step-by-Step Reality
Let's get into the actual labor. First, set up your drying station. This is where most people fail because they realize halfway through that they have nowhere to put a dripping, glue-soaked ghost. Cover your workspace in trash bags or a plastic drop cloth. Do not use newspaper—the ink will bleed onto your white fabric and you'll end up with a ghost that looks like it died in a printing press.
- Build the scaffold. Place your foam ball or balloon on top of your bottle. If you want arms, take a wire coat hanger, wrap it around the neck of the bottle, and bend the ends out.
- Cut, don't tear. While tearing gives a cool edge, it can also cause the weave to unravel too much before the glue sets. Cut your pieces first, then fray the edges manually.
- The Soak. Submerge the cloth in your glue mixture. Squeeze it out gently. You want it damp, not "clumpy."
- The Layering. Lay the first piece over the head. Adjust the folds. Add the second piece at a slight angle to the first. This creates those deep shadows that make the ghost look "real" under dim lighting.
- The Wait. This is the hardest part. It will take at least 24 hours to dry completely. If you’re impatient, you can use a hair dryer on a low, cool setting, but high heat can make the glue brittle or cause the balloon to expand and pop.
Dealing With Gravity
Gravity is your enemy and your friend. As the glue dries, the weight of the wet fabric will pull the "shoulders" down. If you want that billowing, "caught in the wind" look, you have to prop up the edges of the cloth while it dries. Use crumpled-up aluminum foil or plastic wrap tucked under the layers to create "bubbles" of air. Once the ghost is dry and hard, you pull the foil out, and the fabric stays frozen in that position.
Why Details Matter (Eyes, Lights, and Glow)
Should ghosts have eyes? It’s a debated topic in the DIY community.
Some people love the classic black felt circles. It’s cute. It’s traditional. But if you want something genuinely unsettling, leave them faceless. The lack of features makes the human brain work harder to figure out what it's looking at, which increases the "uncanny valley" effect.
If you absolutely must have eyes, consider hiding them under the top layer of cheesecloth. Small, battery-operated LED tea lights or "fairy lights" tucked inside the head of the ghost can create a soft, internal glow. Pro tip: Use cool-toned LEDs (blue or stark white) rather than warm yellow ones. Ghosts shouldn't look "cozy." They should look cold.
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Weatherproofing Your Work
If these are going outside, you have to rethink your materials. Standard white glue is water-soluble. One heavy mist or a light drizzle and your haunting specter will turn into a pile of wet rags on your lawn.
To prevent this, once the ghost is completely dry and stiff, spray the entire thing with a clear, matte acrylic sealer. Do three thin coats rather than one thick one. This creates a plastic-like barrier. It won't make them bulletproof, but it will save them from the morning dew. Martha Stewart’s team famously recommended using "Stiffy" brand stiffener for outdoor use, but even that has limits. If a hurricane is coming, bring the ghosts inside.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- The "Cone" Shape: If your base bottle is too wide, the ghost will look like a traffic cone. Use a slender neck bottle (like a wine or sparkling cider bottle) to keep the "neck" of the ghost thin.
- Over-Saturation: If there's too much glue, the holes in the cheesecloth fill up with a filmy membrane. It looks like plastic wrap instead of fabric. If this happens, use a toothpick to poke through the glue "windows" while it’s still wet.
- The Floating Illusion: If you want your ghost to look like it’s floating, you have to remove the form entirely once it’s dry. This is why the Vaseline on the form is so important. Carefully wiggle the bottle and ball out from the bottom. If you did it right, the ghost will stand up on its own "hemline" or can be hung with a nearly invisible fishing line.
Actionable Steps for Your Spooky Weekend
Don't overthink it. Making ghosts from cheesecloth is supposed to be a bit chaotic. If the fabric rips, let it rip. If the glue drips, let it drip.
To get started today, head to the store and grab a multi-pack of cheesecloth—you'll want more than you think. Start with a small "tabletop" version using a 12-ounce soda bottle to get a feel for how the fabric reacts to the stiffener. Once you've mastered the drape on a small scale, you can move up to life-sized versions using PVC pipe frames and chicken wire for the heads.
Check your local craft store for "glow-in-the-dark" fabric paint. Mixing a little bit of that into your glue/water solution gives the ghost a subtle, radioactive hum when the sun goes down. It’s a small detail that makes a massive difference when the trick-or-treaters show up.
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Stop settling for the generic, foldable ghosts that everyone else has. Get your hands messy. Build something that actually looks like it’s haunting your house. The best part? At the end of the season, these are surprisingly easy to store. Just put them in a large plastic bin. If they get a little crushed, a quick mist of water and a bit of reshuffling will bring them back to life next year.
Ready to begin? Clear off the kitchen table, lay down your plastic, and start cutting that cloth. Your future haunt awaits.