DIY Kit Cheesecloth Ghost

Building the Cheesecloth Ghost

• Build the stand for the cheesecloth ghost. Lay out wax paper or parchment as a drop mat. On your drop mat, place a 5 inch round ball or balloon on top of a 12 inch tall vase. Cover the ball or balloon with plastic wrap so the color doesn't transfer to the cheesecloth. If your vase is not 12 inches tall use a book or two, like I did, to get the desired height.
  
• Mix together 2 cups water with 1 cup cornstarch in a microwave safe mixing bowl until combined.
  2 cups Water, 1 cup Cornstarch
  
• Put the cornstarch mixture in the microwave 30 seconds at a time. Mixing every interval until the mixture turns into a thick paste. It usually takes about 2 – 3 minutes. *
  
• Let the paste cool down a bit so you can touch it but don't let it cool completely otherwise it will be too stiff and you won't be able to work with it.
  
• Drench the cheesecloth into the paste. You don't need a thick layer; use enough of the paste to cover the cheesecloth. Make sure to use wax paper or parchment as a drop mat in your work space. I forgot to put it down under the mixing bowl and it made quite a mess!
  1 piece Cheesecloth
  
• Using your hands smooth cornstarch paste all over the cheesecloth.
  
• Drape the cheesecloth over the vase/ball stand you created.
  
• Pull the wrinkles out from the cheesecloth. Make sure the cheesecloth can touch the flat surface you are working on all around; this will help to keep the cheesecloth ghost stable and allow it to stand on its own.
  
• Let the cheesecloth dry out overnight. ** Clean out that mixing bowl ASAP otherwise it will be dry paste you're trying to clean off and that is not fun. Ask me how I know?!
  

• Find a flat surface to work on. Turn on the hot glue gun so it’s ready to go when you need it.
  
• Fold the 1 ½ x 12 inch piece of felt in half lengthwise and hot glue the seams together.
  1 piece Old Gold Felt
  
• Cut slits on the folded side every ¼ inch; leaving the bottom ¼ of an inch intact.
  
• Dab a line of hot glue onto the bottom interior portion of the seam and roll the felt onto itself.
  
• Continue rolling and gluing the felt flower onto itself in a spiral to create a flower.
  
• Now you have your flower!
  
• Load up some hot glue on a corner of a leaf then place the chrysanthemum on top.
  1 piece Sea Grass Green Felt
  
• Once dry you have your chrysanthemum felt flower!
  

• Find a flat surface to work on. Turn on the hot glue gun so it’s ready to go when you need it.
  

Creating the Poppy Petals

• Lay out your 4 inch square of Rose Pink felt. Cut the square into fours by folding in half and cutting into two pieces.
  1 piece Rose Pink felt
  
• Fold the pieces in half again for fourths and cut for a total of four squares.
  
• Select one of the squares and cut a wide elongated and curvy “W” at the top of the felt square so that it reaches from one side to the opposite side of the square.
  
• At the finish of the "W" continue cutting at a straight angle towards the bottom of the petal so you cut in approximately a ¼ inch.
  
• Repeat Step 5 on the opposite side.
  
• Repeat Step 3 – 5 for the three remaining Rose Pink squares.
  
• Let’s build the shape of each petal. Take one petal, pinch the bottom outsides to the center so you have a “W” crimp of felt.
  
• Place hot glue between each of the crimps.
  
• Hold the crimp together until dry so the shape of the petal is secure.
  
• Repeat Steps 8 – 10 for the other three petals.
  

Time to Put the Poppy Together

• Stage the bottom of each of the petals together to create a square shape. You want the petals to be as close together as possible.
  
• Hot glue two of the petals together at a 90 degree angle at the base; hold these pieces together until dry.
  
• Hot glue the remaining two petals together at a 90 degree angle at the base; hold until dry.
  
• Time to put the two sets of petals together with hot glue in the center; holding everything together until it dries.
  
• Let’s glue on the stamen. Grab your 5 inch piece of Black Tassel and cut away the wavy ¼ inch base so you have a flat surface to work with.
  1 piece Black Tassel
  
• Next roll up the black tassel.
  
• Place hot glue on the base of the tassel.
  
• Then attach the tassel to the center of the poppy felt flower.
  
• Place a circle of hot glue on the poppy right at the base of the black tassel.
  
• Fan out the tassel so it reaches the hot glue and is fluffy and full.
  
• Load up some hot glue on a corner of a leaf then place the poppy on top. Once dry you have your poppy felt flower!
  1 piece Sea Grass felt leaf
  

• Find a flat surface to work on. Turn on the hot glue gun so it’s ready to go when you need it.
  
• Lay out your 5 inch square of dark plum felt. Cut out a circle with a 5 inch diameter by trimming each corner of the square.
  1 piece Dark Plum
  
• Select one side of the felt square. From the center of that side cut a convex shape to the center of the adjacent side. Repeat that cut on all four sides until you have a circle. *
  
• Cut a spiral about ¾ inch thick to the center of the circle. Try your best to keep the spiral width even.
  
• Leave a tab of felt in the center so you can glue all the ruffled rose together.
  
• Every half inch to inch cut out a little notch to make the ruffled part of the rose.
  
• Start rolling the felt from the outside of the circle to the center. Dab glue every so often to keep the flower together.
  
• Once you have reached the end of rolling your felt load up some glue on the remaining tab and set the rolled flower on it.
  
• Allow the glue to dry and set the ruffled rose aside.
  

Creating the Leaves

• Taking the 4 inch square of sea grass felt cut the square into fours by folding in half and cutting into two pieces.
  1 piece Sea Grass Felt leaf
  
• Fold the pieces in half again for fourths and cut for a total of four squares.
  
• Grab one 2 inch square of felt and cut in a convex arch from one corner to the opposite corner.
  
• Repeat the convex arch back to the original corner.
  
• You will now have a simple leaf. Repeat with the other three green squares for the poppy and chrysanthemum felt flowers.
  

Putting the Ruffled Rose Together

• Load up some hot glue on a corner of a leaf.
  
• Then place the ruffled rose on top of the glue. Once dry you have your ruffled rose felt flower!
  

• Cut out the ghost's eye from the black felt. Round the corners of the each piece of black felt for an elongated ghostly eye.
  2 pieces Black Felt
  
• Repeat Step 1 for the second piece of black felt.
  
• Time to build the ghost! Remove the dried cheesecloth from the stand and allow it to stand on it own.
  
• Hot glue the black felt eyes on to the cheesecloth ghost.
  
• Next, let's plot out where we want to place the felt flowers. Centered just above the eyes place the extra sea grass leaf with one tip hanging towards the eyes at a 45 degree angle.
  3 pieces Completed Felt Flowers, 1 piece Sea Grass Felt Leaf
  
• Place the old gold chrysanthemum felt flower on top of the center leaf with the tip of it's leaf pointed toward the back.
• Plot the dark plum ruffled rose to the ghost's left side of the chrysanthemum with the leaf pointed towards the ground.
• On the ghost's right side plot the rose pink poppy felt flower with the leaf pointed towards the ground. Snuggle those felt flowers together and take a look at the positioning. If you like it, let's start gluing into place!
• Remove the felt flowers leaving the sea grass leaf in place. Lift up the leaf just enough off of the cheesecloth ghost so you can keep it in place and dab on some hot glue.
  
• Load up some hot glue onto the back of the chrysanthemum felt flower and place on top of the leaf.
  
• Hot glue the back of the ruffled rose and replace next to the chrysanthemum.
  
• Hot glue the back of the poppy and replace next to the chrysanthemum.
  
• Step back and enjoy your creation! How fun was that! Go put that cutie somewhere you can admire.