Simple Fabric Yard Ghosts on Garden Stakes

Yard ghosts are about as simple as outdoor Halloween decor gets: a stake in the lawn, a round head, and a white sheet that moves when the air does. Three of them at different heights turn an ordinary patch of grass into a small floating crowd, and the whole set comes apart again in a few minutes.

The design below uses lawn stakes only, with nothing hung from trees or the house, and everything stays at a height you can reach standing on the ground. These are friendly, classic sheet ghosts with oval eyes, more charming than creepy.

What You Need for Three Ghosts

• Three garden stakes or bamboo canes, about 3, 4 and 5 feet (roughly 0.9, 1.2 and 1.5 m) long
• Three foam balls about 6 inches (15 cm) across, or three plastic bags stuffed with crumpled paper
• White fabric: old flat sheets or muslin, one piece per ghost
• Twine or white string
• Black felt, or a black fabric marker, for the eyes
• Fabric glue or a low-temp glue gun, plus strong tape
• Fabric scissors

Each stake loses about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) to the ground, so the ghosts end up shorter than the stakes. Cotton sheets and muslin drape softly and catch a breeze. Thick or stiff fabric hangs like a tent, so choose something light.

Choose the Spot First

Where the ghosts stand matters more than how they are made. Pick an open patch of lawn or a soft garden bed that people look at but do not walk through.

• Keep them well away from paths, driveways, steps and doors, with at least a few feet of clear space on every side.
• Avoid the routes that visitors and trick-or-treaters use after dark.
• Stay clear of sprinkler heads, and of anywhere you know pipes or cables run close to the surface.
• Choose ground that is soft enough to take a stake by hand, without forcing it.

For help planning the rest of the front yard and porch around them, see the guide to outdoor Halloween decorations for beginners.

Set the Stakes and Add the Heads

1. Push the first stake straight down into the lawn by hand until about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) is buried. Wiggle the top. If it leans or turns easily, push it deeper or move to firmer ground.
2. For a foam head, an adult should make a starter hole in the ball with a pencil, about halfway through. Press the ball onto the top of the stake until it sits snug.
3. For a stuffed head, fill a plastic bag with crumpled paper until it is about the size of a small melon, gather the opening around the top of the stake, and bind it tightly with tape.
4. Wrap a few turns of tape around the stake just under the head so it cannot slide down.
5. Repeat with the other two stakes, spacing them about 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) apart.

A rounded head also covers the hard end of the stake, which is worth having on any stake left standing in a yard.

Drape and Tie the Fabric

1. Find the center of the fabric by folding it in quarters, and place that point on top of the head.
2. Let the fabric fall evenly on all sides and smooth it over the ball so the face area is free of big folds.
3. Gather the fabric under the head and tie it with twine. Keep the tie loose: snug enough to stop the sheet from lifting off, loose enough that the fabric still flares out below.
4. Knot the twine twice and trim the ends, or leave them long as a small scarf.

Add Simple Eyes

Two tall black ovals are all a ghost needs. Cut them from felt, each about 2 inches (5 cm) high, and glue them on about a third of the way down the head, with a gap of roughly one eye-width between them.

A fabric marker works too. Slip a piece of cardboard behind the fabric so the ink does not soak through, draw the outlines first, then fill them in.

Small changes give each ghost its own mood: eyes set close together look curious, and a small round mouth below them looks surprised.

Trim the Hem Above the Ground

Fabric that drags on the grass soaks up dew, picks up mud and gets heavy. Trim the hem so it hangs about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) above the ground all the way around.

Cut a little at a time and step back between cuts. An uneven, wavy hem looks more ghostly than a straight one, and you can snip a few long, shallow points into it for a ragged edge. A trimmed hem also keeps the fabric clear of feet and lawn tools.

Group Three at Different Heights

Set the tallest ghost at the back and the two shorter ones in front and to the sides, in a loose triangle. Turn each face a slightly different way, as if the three were drifting together across the lawn. Seen from the street, the different heights keep the group from looking like a fence.

For a softer, more see-through companion on the porch, the stiffened figures in cheesecloth ghost decorations stand without a stake and pair well with these.

Optional Light, Wind and Rain

White fabric shows up well at dusk without help. If you want a glow after dark, place a solar stake light in the ground about 2 feet (60 cm) in front of the group, aimed up at the faces and not touching the fabric. It needs no extension cord and no outlet. The guide to battery LED lights for Halloween decor compares other flameless options.

These ghosts are not weatherproof. After rain, a soaked sheet gets heavy and can pull a stake over, so lift the fabric off, let it dry indoors and drape it again. How well the set holds up over a season varies with the weather and the fabric. When Halloween is over, wash and fold the sheets, pull the stakes, and fill the small holes in the lawn with your heel.