DIY Ghost Costume

What you need

A white flat sheet and a pair of scissors.

• Effort: Easiest
• Cost: $0–12
• Time: 5 min

The one thing to buy

How to put it together

1. Pick the right size sheet. A twin flat sheet drapes most kids and adults with room to spare. If you're tall or want it to puddle on the floor, go up to a full or queen. Plain white, no pattern.
2. Drape it before you cut anything. Put the sheet over your head first, then have someone mark where your eyes land with a pen. Cutting eye holes blind never lines up; marking them while it's on you does.
3. Cut the eye holes. Take the sheet off and snip two small holes at the marks, a little bigger than a quarter. Start small, since you can always widen them, but a too-big hole can't be undone.
4. Back the holes with black tulle. Tack a square of black tulle behind each hole. From the outside the eyes look hollow and dark, and you can still see straight through the mesh.
5. Weight the hem so it hangs. Sew a few coins into the bottom corners, or round off the hem with scissors. A weighted, rounded edge hangs like a ghost instead of sitting flat like a sheet off the bed.

Make it your own

For a kid

Size the sheet down to a crib or twin and trim the length so it clears the ground. A hem that drags is the thing that trips a kid on a dark sidewalk, so cut it shorter than feels right.

Pair it up

A ghost goes with anything, so pair it with whatever your group is already doing. Making one for the dog too? Same idea, just a smaller sheet and lower eye holes.

To level it up

This is where the good ghost gets made. A heavier hem weight and a longer drape give you that floating hang, and gray or tea-stained fabric looks more haunted than bright white.