Ghouls, ghosts and things that go bump in the night all make for very exciting parties. Why not try some of the ideas below for costumes.
1. Make a ghost from an old sheet with two eyes cut out and rimmed in black felt tip.
2. A skeleton can be made from a black tee shirt and tights with bones cut from fusible webbing that is then ironed into place.
3. Make an Egyptian mummy by wrapping loo paper round and round until only the eyes are visible.
4. A severed hand can be made from an old rubber glove with bits of rice crispies (warts) stuck on and long black fake nails from card, then painted lurid green to make it truly revolting.
Once you have carved the lanterns and perfected the costumes don’t forget to dress the room too. Shades of putrid pumpkin, slime green and beastly black are guaranteed to set the scene for some spooky fun.
Make a pumpkin head and spiders web tablecloth with the help of some orange dye an old cotton sheet and black fabric pen and paint.
You will need
- 100% plain white cotton sheet
- 1 packet of machine dye in orange
- 500g salt
- Card
- Scissors
- Black bin liners and sticky tape (masking tape will do)
- Pencil
- Black Fabric felt tips and /or puff paints
- Black fabric paint
Instructions
1. Follow the instructions on the packet of dye, and dye the sheet in the washing machine. Leave it to dry and then iron flat.
2. Draw the shape of a pumpkin head onto a piece of cardboard roughly the size of a dinner plate. You could use a dinner plate to draw round, then add a stalk to the top of it. Draw the eye -holes and mouth and cut these out. Cut out the cardboard template.
3.Cover the table, you will be having the party round, with plastic bin liners and stick into position. This is to protect the table from fabric paint.
4. Using a pencil draw round the pumpkin head template onto the tablecloth. It is probably best to place the heads in the place where each person will be sitting. If you are not sure of numbers, then position the heads randomly.
5. Colour in the pumpkin heads using black fabric paint.
6.With a pencil, draw spider’s webs linking the pumpkin heads. Go over the pencil with either expanding paint or fabric felt tips.
7. Leave to dry and then remove the plastic sheet from below the table -cloth.
Juliet Bawden - Juliet Bawden is a craft & design writer and broadcaster. She has had over 60 books published. She crafts, cooks -gardens and recycles
