Origami Ghost and Decorating Ideas for Halloween

Author:: Sherry Venegas

Ms. Venegas has been using origami to make rosettes and medallions since 2003. She shares art/craft techniques and ideas on the Internet.

Best Origami Ghost Pattern

This tutorial takes the basic origami ghost pattern and dresses it up for a better high flying goblin for the fall season. Cute as Casper and easy enough for big kids.

Included are a few ideas for displaying the ghost and giving it tweaks so each one looks unique. The decorator can create a display with ghosts flying in many directions.

These paper decorations are not just for Halloween. Make them for Day of Dead and well into autumn. Get some paper and start with the pattern below.

A Finished Origami Ghost

For the Halloween or autumn party as place settings.

Ghost Origami Instructions

Turn paper over. Fold sides toward center fold.

Fold sides toward center at opposite point, as shown.

Open up square and note the pre-folds. Put thumb and index fingers of both hands under the paper at the points marked by the black cats. Pinch the cats together and guide the pre-folds (dashes) into the center.

Fold a square two ways diagonally.

Pattern Continued

Turn over and fold up bottom tip halfway up underlying tab.

At this newest fold make another 1/4 inch fold where the witches are pointing.

Turn the ghost over. This is now the back of the figure. The head starts at the new double fold. Fold down the top tip to form the top.

At this point make two more folds at random angles.

For the bottom tail start with a diagonal fold. Fold it any which way.

The flying tail gets the random treatment.

Do the same kind of random folding for the two tabs. The tabs become the arms of the ghost.

Draw in some droopy eyes of any shape and angle.

Your project should look like this.

Give Ghosts New Clothes with Fancy Papers

Use fancy papers. No need to stay with white.

Shape Up the Goblin Using Your Imagination

All that is left to do is gently pull the top, tail, and arms into positions that appeal to you. Ghosts can sit on a table, hang on the porch, or add to a wooden craft loop for a mobile.