DIY Ghost Garland: An Easy Fabric Scrap Halloween Craft
There is something about a row of little fabric ghosts swaying across the mantel that makes a house feel ready for October. This DIY ghost garland is one of those crafts that looks like it took a whole afternoon, but comes together in about an hour with a pile of fabric scraps, some cotton balls, and a bit of twine.
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We whipped ours together in an afternoon, and it turned out to be the perfect low-key project. No sewing machine or glue gun required (just a needle and some twine), and every ghost ends up with a little personality of its own. It is just as easy to make on a quiet afternoon at home with the kids, and the finished garland is something you will actually want to hang up year after year.
What You’ll Need
Most of this is stuff you may already have around the house. We thrifted our fabric, but a fat quarter bundle works perfectly and gives you a matching set of prints.
- Fabric scraps in 4 different patterns. Thrifted fabric, old pillowcases, or a fat quarter bundle all work. We went with creams, sage greens, and one rusty orange (all thrifted pillowcases).
- Cotton balls for the heads. Jumbo ones make nice round ghosts. (Amazon)
- Yarn or twine for tying the necks and stringing the garland. We recommend natural jute twine. (Amazon)
- A black fabric marker for the eyes. (Amazon)
- A large eye needle for threading the twine through the heads. (Amazon)
- Fabric scissors. (Amazon)
- On hand: a ruler or measuring tape, and a scrap of paper or cardboard for your template.
How to Make a DIY Ghost Garland
- Cut your fabric. Measure and cut one rectangle that is about 17 x 19 inches, then use it as a template to cut the rest. We cut two ghosts from each of our four patterns for a garland of eight, but make as many as your space needs.
- Make the heads. Bunch a few cotton balls together (leftover fabric scraps work too) and place them in the center of a rectangle on the wrong side of the fabric. Gather the fabric up and around the ball so the print side faces out.
- Tie the neck. Wrap a piece of yarn or twine snugly right under the head and tie it off in a double knot. Trim the tails or leave them long for a little extra charm.
- Draw the eyes. Dot on two little eyes with a fabric marker. You could use another permanent marker too, just make sure to test it on some fabric to make sure it doesn’t bleed.
- Trim the bottoms. Once all the ghosts are built, trim the bottom edges however you like. We left ours a bit wispy and uneven so they look like they are floating.
- Plan your pattern. Lay the ghosts out in a line and play with the order of the prints until you love it. We alternated the darker orange with the lighter creams so it felt balanced.
- String the garland. Thread your twine through a large eye needle and push it straight through the top of each head, one after another, until they are all on the line. Pull the twine to the length you want, then slide the ghosts along the string to space them evenly.
- Hang it up. Tie a loop at each end and hang it across a mantel, bookshelf, window, or doorway. Give the eyes a few minutes to fully dry before the ghosts touch each other (see the tips below).
Why We Love This Craft
This is the kind of Halloween decor we actually want in our homes: soft, neutral, and a little bit vintage looking. It costs almost nothing when you use scraps, and because every ghost is slightly different, the garland has so much more character than anything from the store. The kids can help too, especially with stuffing the heads and choosing the order of the ghosts, and it is one of those projects you will pull out of the Halloween box every single year.
Tips for the Best Ghost Garland
- Test your marker on a scrap first. Some regular markers bleed into fabric and turn crisp little eyes into blurry gray smudges. A fabric marker is the safest bet.
- Cut one, then trace. Using your first rectangle as a template keeps all the ghosts the same size, which makes the garland look intentional.
- Stick to a color story. Three or four prints in a similar palette (we did creams, sage, and rust) look far more polished than a bunch of random scraps.
- Keep the necks snug. A tight tie right under the head gives you that classic ghost shape and keeps the cotton from shifting.
- Go through the top of the head. Running the twine through the very top keeps the ghosts hanging straight instead of tipping sideways.
- Make extras. A few loose ghosts look sweet tucked on a shelf, tied to a wreath, or clipped to a gift bag.
We hung ours across the bookshelf in the living room and it instantly made the whole space feel like fall. We would love to see yours! What prints did you use for your ghosts? Let us know in the comments.
Looking for more easy fall crafts? Try our 10 Easy Fall Crafts for Kids next.
