Easy DIY Outdoor Halloween Witch
In this tutorial I’ll show you how to make an easy outdoor Halloween witch using a gooseneck gourd.
MATERIALS USED:
1 gooseneck gourd
Pencil
Utility knife
Green paint and brush (optional)
2 large sticks or pieces of wood to make a body-sized cross
Plastic garbage bag
Newspapers (for stuffing)
Black “witchy” dress (check your local 2nd hand shops)
Black witch hat
1 yard of purple satin for cape
2 safety pins
Broom
1 string of green Christmas lights
My family always has one (or more) of these witches outside at Halloween, and everybody who sees them loves them. They’re a fun way to get into the Halloween spirit. To get the witch to stand up outside, either tie it to a fence, or stick the base of it in a straw bail.
If you use a fresh gourd, it will already be a nice shade of green for a witch’s face, but if you use a dried gourd, you have the option of leaving it splotchy brown for the effect of “withered old skin,” or painting it green (both ways look pretty cool). Whether your gourd is dry or fresh, you’ll want to be careful when you’re cutting out the eyes. Utility knives can slip when cutting a gourd, and you don’t want to accidentally cut yourself.
Before I put the hat on, these witches always remind of that line in the movie with Anjelica Huston “Real witches are quite bald.” To remedy that, I usually use one of the witch hats that comes with the hair sewn into it. You can usually pick up a black dress for your witch for a few bucks at your local 2nd hand shop. The one I used for this witch was an old grim reaper costume I picked up for a couple bucks at the local Salvation Army after Halloween.
This witch is meant for the outdoors, but even so, you may want to keep it under an eve so it lasts longer. The fabrics can still mold if they’re wet for too long, so keeping it under an eve will keep it more dry. Or you could opt for making a dress out of an old rain slicker.
To complete the scene, I usually add a “burning cauldron” (an orange light bulb shining against blowing white chiffon, settled into an old metal tub painted black) beside the witch. If you can train your cat to sit in the scene (mine love to), it adds even more ambience. And then just give your witch a broom by tying one of her sleeves around it so she can “hold” it.
And if you want something a little more “witchy” than your standard sweeping broom, check out my tutorial for making a traditional witch’s broom here.
Video tutorial by Amber Reifsteck, The Woodland Elf
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