project: flying felt ghost toy

A few months ago, I saw a fun idea for making climbing critters. I filed it away, thinking it would be fun to make some of my own. (By the way, my mom tells me that I made something similar to this as a child, after learning about it on Mister Rogers!) With Halloween nearly upon us, I thought this would be a good time to use the friction toy concept with a holiday twist!

I don't believe in ghosts, but I do think they can be one of the cutest things you'll ever see. And since they fly, they work well for this toy!



It works like this: You loop the top over a doorknob, then hold the ends of the string. By pulling the strings, you cause the ghost fly up to the top! If you pull both strings out, it can go really fast...if you alternate the two sides, it goes up a little at a time. It's fun!



Here's what you need:

White felt
Black embroidery floss
Drinking straw
String or yarn
Scissors
Needle
Hot glue gun

Ghost Template PDF



Cut out a ghost from white felt, then embroider the face. I used french knots for eyes, and an open detached chain for the smile.



Cut two pieces of straw, each a little over 1 inch long. Hot glue them to the center of the back of the ghost.




Cut a piece of string about 4 feet long and thread it through the straws. The loop should be at the top. Tie a knot in each end of the string.




Now your ghostie is ready to play with! Isn't he the cutest?