Sew, stuff and dress to impress!
What a fantastic beginner Halloween project! Our easy-sew ghouls come together quickly – our simple sewing pattern is easy to cut and assemble. And you’ll have lots of fun embellishing these guys with acrylic paint and a variety of Dritz® sewing supplies. And the costumes! We’ve included ideas for a tutu, Frankenstein shirt, super hero cape and mummy. Display your ghouls on the mantle, alongside decorative pillows, or next to a pumpkin. Too cute!!

Dritz® supplies:
Other supplies:
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These ghoul dolls are so fun to make because they are super easy and super cute. You can find all of the sewing and crafting supplies to make them at your local Walmart – so gathering supplies is easy, too. Let’s get started! |
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First, you’ll need to print out our primitive folk doll sewing pattern. It includes the parts and pieces for the doll, and some of his/her clothes, too. Be sure to follow the printing instructions on the patterns. |
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Using our sewing patterns, cut out 2 pieces each of head, body and arms. (For our girl ghoul doll, we used a floral print for the body and arms, and a plain muslin for the head.)
Stitch head pieces to body pieces and press seam towards body. Distress head fabric pieces with multi-surface paint and sponge dabber. Choose 1 head/body piece as front and set rest aside. |
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Now the fun begins! Decorate your ghoul’s face as desired. We used black paint and a dabber to make eye sockets. |
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Draw a mouth with a marking pen and then stitch over mark using a decorative stitch on your sewing machine. Button and craft thread will make the stitching stand out. Add some red lips to your ghoul girl. |
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Snaps, studs or safety pins make great eyes and nose. Stitch snaps over eye sockets. Use a small screwdriver to push the points of the studs down securely. |
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Add patches and decorative accents to the body by hand or machine. Give your ghoul its own personality! |
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For our ghoul dude, we used navy homespun fabric for the body and arm pieces, and the same plain muslin for his head.
He needed a mustache, though … To make one, we used the “eye” side of our Dritz® covered hooks & eyes. Just bend the large “eye” side of this fastener into a mustache. Dashing, huh!? |
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Every good looking ghoul needs some hair! Stitch random loops of crochet thread or cord elastic into seam allowance at top of head. We just positioned loops under the presser foot as we stitched. Trim loops for single pieces of hair. |
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Stitch front and back of ghoul together with ¼” seam allowance. Leave 2” opening on 1 side of body and ends of legs open. Stitch arm tubes leaving top and bottom open. Clip corners at legs. Turn body and arms right side out. Stitch legs ends and 1 end of arms closed with raw edges exposed. |
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Stuff body and arms with fiber fill. (For a sitting ghoul, stitch across top of legs after stuffing.) Hand stitch body opening closed. Machine stitch top of arms closed, leaving raw edges exposed. Stitch arms to body with crochet thread and big, uneven stitches. |
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They’re done! Are they cute, or what?
Now it’s time to make them some clothes and accessories! |
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Use the sewing pattern and cut 2 pieces from felt. Stitch pieces together with 1/8” seam to make shirt. Turn right side out and rough cut sleeves and body apart. Reattach cut pieces with safety pins. Attach a sew-on snap to back. Or turn it around as a cute cardigan for your girl! |
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Who doesn’t love a little jewelry? Make a necklace for your ghoul with beads and cording. Tie knots in cording to keep beads separated. |
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Add more flair with a ribbon tutu. Wrap ¼” elastic around ghoul waist to measure and stitch ends together to secure. Tie 7” lengths of ribbon and rickrack onto elastic. |
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Fray ends of ribbon and trim to complete the look. Add charms to elastic waist with crochet thread.
Adorbs!
(Hey: if you dig this tutu, you can make a life-size version for yourself!) |
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Give your ghoul a mummy costume with cheesecloth and safety pins (it is Halloween, after all!). Cut cheesecloth into several 6” wide strips and wrap your ghoul. Secure ends with safety pins. Age cheesecloth with paint, if desired. |
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If super heroes are your thing, make a cape for your ghoul. Use sewing pattern and 14” of cord elastic. Fold top edge under ½” and stitch casing with elastic already in fold. Add studs to edge of cape. Distress edges and tie around neck. |
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The possibilities really are endless!
Once you’ve got your basic ghoul constructed, use your imagination to create all kinds of looks – Halloween and otherwise!
You can find a full range of Dritz® sewing supplies at Walmart, and who knows what you’ll come up with! There are so many basic supplies that take on a whole new personality when used in nontraditional ways. |
What are you making for Halloween? Tell us! We’d love to hear from you!