DIY Vintage Doily Ghost in a Frame

I knew the minute I pulled out this old crochet doily that it needed to become something for fall.And since I’m not really a spooky Halloween decorator, this little ghost felt much more like me — vintage, neutral, a little wonky, and easy to make with things you may already have around the house.

The best part is that you really don’t need a pattern or exact measurements. The size of your ghost will depend completely on the doily and frame you use.

Supplies

For this project I used a vintage crochet doily, an old frame, black cardstock for the background, a small round piece of cardboard, hot glue, a little polyfill, black paper for the eyes, and a few embellishments for the top.

You could also use a small embroidery hoop, wooden circle, or really anything round that works with the size of your doily even a cardboard circle .

Start with the round form

Lay your doily out flat.

Here is the little trick that makes the whole project work: don’t place your circle in the center of the doily.

Place it about one-third of the way up from the bottom, leaving the larger portion of the doily available to drape down over the front.

The smaller section will become the back of the ghost and help hold everything together.

Hot glue the doily around the circle

Once you like the placement, begin gathering the doily around the round form.Hot glue the doily to the back of the circle as you work your way around.You do not need perfect pleats. In fact, I think it looks better when the folds are soft and a little uneven.The goal is simply to secure the back section while keeping plenty of fabric loose in the front.

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Flip it over and form the head

Now flip the whole thing over.The longer section of the doily should naturally fall over the circle and begin looking like the body of your ghost.If the head feels a little too flat, tuck a small amount of polyfill underneath the doily and over the circle.

You really only need a little bit.The polyfill softens that hard circle underneath and gives the ghost a fuller, rounded head.

Once that is in place, start arranging the folds.

Pull some sections forward, let others fall toward the sides, and keep adjusting until you like the shape.

This is one of those projects where the material really tells you what it wants to do.

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Prepare the frame

Remove the backing from your frame.I used a black background because the contrast makes all those beautiful crochet details stand out.You can cut black cardstock, poster board, foam board, or even paint the original backing black.Once your ghost is shaped the way you like it, hot glue it directly onto the backing.Then place everything back inside the frame.

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Add the face

For the eyes, I simply cut two small oval shapes from black cardstock and glued them onto the doily.

Nothing fancy. I actually think the simple little eyes are what make this one so cute.

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Decorate your ghost

Now comes the fun part.

You can leave your ghost completely plain or dress it up with whatever you already have in your stash.

For one version, I love the idea of using a loose fabric and lace bow with a pearl or vintage-style brooch in the center.

For another, a tiny crown gives it an entirely different personality.

You could also use torn ribbon, velvet, pearls, rhinestone trim, buttons, lace scraps, or an old piece of jewelry.

There really are no rules here.

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An easy vintage Halloween craft

I love projects like this because you can start with exactly the same idea and end up with something completely different depending on the doily you find.

A small doily can make a sweet little framed ghost.

A large one can become a much fuller statement piece.

And if you already have old frames and doilies tucked away somewhere, this can easily turn into a mostly-from-your-stash project.

I think my favorite part is all those natural folds. Nothing is measured, nothing is perfectly symmetrical, and that is exactly what gives each ghost its own personality.

Would you give yours a bow, a little crown, or leave it completely simple?

See other Fall Projects on my blog below

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