splendid spooks

The Tale of five ghosts..

I was feeling that a new dimension needed to be added to the splendid graveyard this year. Something looming, tall and ghastly…..

Then, when a search for “cheesecloth” took me to an online fabric store selling 100 yards of this gauzy, flowy cotton for $32.00, my mission was defined (click on cheesecloth to learn more). The box of cheesecloth arrived promptly and I was thrilled to have a thick stack of this soft palette with which to work.

While I wanted a spooky stand out, I also wanted something that would blend in with the gardens. Looking around the market I was able to find some natural materials with which I could easily create structure for my splendid spirits. Look around — maybe you have some things in your surroundings, which could easily be converted, with simple shrouds of cheesecloth, into a lovely, billowing decoration for all hallow’s eve.

Here’s what we found. Corkscrew willow and other branches made the perfect “skeleton” for some freestanding ghosts in the graveyard. I used a tall piece for the height, crossed with a shorter branch for arms, and secured the branches in place with brown duct tape. To create a little more shape, I created a skirt of leaved branches, pruned from a tree. I bound the “skirt” to the body using more brown duct tape, for Mrs. Ghost.

Once the “bones” were in place I began cloaking the form in sheets of cheesecloth. I gathered the first layer at the “waist” and secured it with kitchen twine. The length of cheese cloth was approximately 2x her height so I could fold it over her body. The cheesecloth fibers easily separate to make a hole for the “neck”. I added about 3 more layers of cheesecloth, draping and wrapping as I went.

For her head, I used a white foam pumpkin (available in craft stores). One can cut a face design in these pumpkins with a carving knife. A couple of layers of cheesecloth helped to soften that “plastic” head.

So, this is how she turned out…pretty good. But, in my opinion, not quite splendid. Maybe she just looks too cheerful. Read on to learn about her transformation.

Mr. Ghost was created in a similar fashion, only I used 4 longer sticks for the body and skipped the “skirt”.

A plastic skeleton head was used for his topper. He was draped and wrapped in cheesecloth of various layers.

Pretty good..but maybe a little…I don’t know…too white??

When I gazed at this wall covered with mature climbing roses, I saw more than canes and thorns…I saw ghosts… can you see them?

I outlined the figures in colored, blinking lights (2 in orange, one in purple lights).

For faces, I used a glue gun to attach pipe cleaners, shaped into facial features, to pieces of white netting.

Then I gathered up the netting and a double length of cheese cloth with some kitchen twine (making sure the face was low enough on the netting to allow for the face to stay flat after it was “gathered”.

The fabric ghosts were tied to the rose canes (only a few thorny interactions).

They looked good,

especially at night..

But in my Virgo mind, they needed a little something more.

It’s hard to know precisely where our creative thoughts originate, but it may have been this skirt that started the wheels turning for my ghost perfection project. It’s from the Spring 2011 collection of Proenza Schouler and was featured on the wonderful blog, Slim Paley. Slim Paley kindly featured our Chocolate Covered Tarantulas in this piece as well (thank you for the mention, SP!)

With yards of cheesecloth to work with, I knew I could create the depth and texture to my phantoms needed.

I turned to a trusted friend, Mrs. Stewart. Have you ever used her bluing? A few drops in the wash really helps to keep white towels looking bright.

I cut several lengths and let them soak in a basin with some of the bluing.

Other pieces of cheese cloth had a much darker destiny. After getting them wet, I put them in a bag and shook them up with pieces of charcoal and ashes (from the fireplace).

Arabella didn’t seem to be very impressed.

I put a third batch in a vessel of water with yellow food coloring.

I unfolded the pieces of cloth and draped them over the shrubbery (here’s the perfect lazy-lady method for making ghosts).

So to my pure, white wraiths, I added lengths of the colored cloth.

I put the yellowish cloth in the dryer to get this bumpy texture.

I put one sheet of white cheesecloth over the face of the rosebush ghosts, and gathered the rest of the fabric pieces behind the face.

I folded the fabric over, tied it up with kitchen twine, and tied it back to the rose canes.

The colors are subtle, and not that noticeable in this photo, but the they make the ghosts to show up much better against the white wall.

Mrs. Ghost was looking far too happy for my taste, so I had to do a little reconstruction work on her face. I drew on a frightening looking face and turned her head sideways, using (what is left of) the stem for a nose.