Spooky Halloween Table Topper

Spooky Halloween Table Topper

By Janis Bullis

Have fun entertaining your favorite ghosts and goblins with this colorful Halloween table decoration made using Rit fabric dyes.  Cheesecloth dyed purple was used to make the no-sew, spider web table topper.  And just like magic, a little fabric stiffener was added to the yellow dyed cheesecloth to create a colorful candy bowl.  The round table skirt was dyed tangerine with pinches of fabric wrapped with rubber bands to create eerie circles. For a spooky finishing touch, add a few creepy crawly spiders, made from pom poms and chenille stems.  It’s so easy and so much fun!

Finished Sizes:  Two 36” Square Cheesecloth Table Toppers & 70” Round Table Skirt

General Dyeing Supplies

• Rit Dye: Purple, Lemon Yellow, Tangerine
• 4-Cup glass measuring cup
• 5-Gallon disposable plastic bucket or bin for dyeing
• Metal Spoon
• Rubber gloves
• Liquid detergent
• Salt

General Dyeing Instructions for Cheesecloth or Fabric

1. Prepare dye solution:  Pour 1/2 cup liquid dye or 1 box of powdered dye into a 4-cup measuring cup.  Add 2 cups hot tap water.  If using powdered dye, stir until dye is dissolved.  Add salt and liquid detergent as directed.
2. Pour dye solution into a 5 gallon plastic bin or bucket filled with 3 gallons of hot tap water; stir.  Note:  When dyeing cheesecloth, use 1 1/2 gallons of water.
3. Add wet fabric to dye bath. Allow fabric to remain in dye bath for 20 to 30 minutes or until desired color is achieved; stir gently.
4. Rinse, launder and dry fabric or cheesecloth following package directions.

No-Sew Cheesecloth Table Topper

Supplies Needed

• Purple Rit Dye - 1 box. or bottle
• 2 Yds. cheesecloth, 36 inches wide

Instructions

1. Cut two 36 inch squares from cheesecloth. 
2. Prepare Purple dyebath following Rit dye package instructions. 
3. Wet cheesecloth in hot water and immerse in dyebath until desired color is achieved, up to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Remove cheesecloth from dyebath and rinse following package directions.  Hang dry.
5. When decorating, drape two layers of cheesecloth over table skirt in different directions.

Cheesecloth Candy Bowl

Supplies Needed

• Lemon Yellow Rit Dye – 1 box or bottle
• 1 Cup liquid fabric stiffener
• 1 Yd. cheesecloth, 36 inches wide
• 2 Quart glass bowl to mix fabric stiffener
• 1 1/2 to 2 quart glass bowl for shaping cheesecloth bowl
• Tall drinking glass to use as a drying pedestal for bowl
• Plastic wrap
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Cut cheesecloth into four 18” squares.
2. Wrap outside of 1 1/2 quart bowl with several layers of plastic wrap. Set aside.
3. Prepare Lemon Yellow dyebath following Rit dye package instructions.
4. Wet cheesecloth in hot water and immerse in dyebath until desired color is achieved, up to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally
5. Remove cheesecloth from dyebath and rinse following package directions.
6. Tightly squeeze out excess water and gently open out cheesecloth pieces.
7. Pour 1 cup of fabric stiffener and 1/8 cup water in 2 quart bowl.  Mix thoroughly.       
8. Dip cheesecloth pieces into bowl and thoroughly saturate with stiffener.  Squeeze stiffener from cheesecloth pieces and lay each cheesecloth piece flat on table. Do not allow to dry.
9. Position wrapped bowl on top of drinking glass upside down.  Drape one wet piece of cheesecloth over bowl, allowing edges to hang down evenly on all sides and distributing fullness evenly. Repeat for remaining three pieces of cheesecloth.
10. While cheesecloth is still wet, trim the edges along the edge of the bowl through all four layers. Allow cheesecloth to dry thoroughly, then remove from plastic wrap and bowl.

Round Table Skirt

Supplies Needed

• Tangerine Rit Dye - 1 box or bottle
• 4 1/4 Yds. white 100% cotton fabric
• All-purpose sewing thread in orange
• Air-soluble fabric marking pen
• Tape measure & yardstick
• Straight pins
• Rubber bands

Instructions

1. Launder and iron white fabric before cutting and dyeing to remove sizing or finishes.
2. Cut one 40” wide x 74” high center panel. Cut two 20” wide x 74” high side panels. 
3. At random locations on the skirt fabric, pinch up a section of fabric and wrap tightly with a rubber band three or four inches from point.
4. Wet skirt fabric panels in hot tap water.   
5. Prepare Orange dyebath following package instructions.
6. Immerse wet fabric in dyebath for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Rinse in cool water and remove rubber bands.  Continue rinsing following package instructions.  Iron fabric.

Sewing Table Skirt

Note:  Use ½” seam allowances.

1. With right sides together and long cut edges even, pin each narrow panel to each side of the wide panel.  Stitch panels together. Press seam allowances to one side, and zigzag or serge over raw edges. 
2. With wrong side of fabric facing out, fold skirt into quarters, first crosswise and then lengthwise, matching seams and cut edges.  Pin all layers together along folds.
3. The finished diameter of this table skirt measures 70”.  To determine the cutting radius needed, divide the table skirt diameter by 2 and add 1” for a hem.  This cutting radius calculated to 36”.  Hold the end of a tape measure at the folded corner (center) of skirt.  Using the tape measure as a compass, mark the cutting radius on the fabric every few inches with a fabric pen, progressing from one folded edge to the other.  Cut through all layers along the marked line.
4. Open out folds of skirt. Make a ½” double hem around edge of skirt; machine stitch close to fold.

Three Creepy Crawly Spiders

Supplies Needed 

• 6 Black Pompoms,  three 1 inch & three 2 inch
• 6 Black chenille stems, 12 inches
• 3 Large safety pins
• Hot glue gun

Instructions

1. Using hot glue gun, glue together one small and one large pompom.  Cut two chenille stem in half.  Fold each stem section in half and then in quarters. Glue center of stems to back of larger pompom.  Bend legs as shown.
2. Repeat for other two spiders.
3. Use large safety pins to pin spiders to table cloth.