{"title":"How to Make a Ghost Garland","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/crafts/how-to-make-a-ghost-garland","category":{"slug":"crafts","name":"Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Krysta Meeker","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl4x5lQuvgfCerwZZDGjILg","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q45GwSthIX8"},"tldr":"Make a yarn ghost garland with cardboard, white yarn and puff paint. No sewing or glue, about five minutes per ghost once you have the hang of it.","totalDurationSeconds":297,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["scissors"],"materials":["white worsted yarn","scrap cardboard","black fabric puff paint","tissue paper or cotton balls","black and white bakers twine"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Cut a Cardboard Template","text":"Cut a piece of scrap cardboard to roughly four and a half by four inches. That rectangle is the only template you need.Its height sets how long the finished ghost hangs, so if you want longer, taller ghosts, cut a taller piece. Everything else stays the same."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Wrap the Yarn Around the Cardboard","text":"Wind the white yarn around the cardboard, keeping the wraps side by side rather than piling them up.How many times you go around decides how full the ghost looks. Thin yarn needs more wraps than chunky yarn to reach the same density, so judge by the look of the bundle rather than counting."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Cut the Yarn Free","text":"Once the bundle is as thick as you want it, cut the yarn away from the skein."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Tie the Bundle at the Top","text":"Slide a separate long strand of yarn underneath all the wraps, pull it up to the top edge, and tie a firm knot.Cut this strand generously long. The tails are what you will use to knot the ghost onto the garland string at the end, so you want the extra."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Slide It Off the Cardboard","text":"Ease the tied bundle off the end of the cardboard.It should hold its shape on its own now, with all the loops gathered under that one knot at the top."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Stuff the Head","text":"Ball up a piece of tissue and push it into the bundle just below the tie, then spread the yarn evenly around it.This is what turns a flat tassel into a ghost. Without it the head collapses and you end up with something that reads as a mop rather than a spook."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7: Tie Off the Neck","text":"Wrap a second strand of yarn around the bundle just below the stuffing and knot it.That knot holds the tissue captive and defines the head. Let the tails of this strand hang down and blend into the body rather than trimming them off."},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8: Cut the Bottom Loops Open","text":"Snip through all the loops at the bottom of the bundle so the yarn hangs loose.Then go back and trim the stragglers. It does not want to be perfectly level, and a slightly ragged hem looks more like drifting fabric anyway."},{"number":9,"title":"Step 9: Add the Eyes","text":"Dot two eyes onto the head with black fabric puff paint.Keep them small and set them fairly low and wide. Puff paint sits proud of the yarn as it dries, which is what gives the eyes their slightly bulging, cartoonish look."},{"number":10,"title":"Step 10: Knot the Ghosts Onto the String","text":"Repeat until you have enough ghosts, then tie each one onto your hanging string with a simple knot.Push the tails to whichever side they naturally want to fall and tuck them down into the body so the knot disappears into the yarn."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-08-22T18:30:27.570Z","published":"2026-08-22T18:30:21.447Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}