Well, October is upon us! I know that in blog-time, that means I am WAY late to busting out the Halloween crafts, but I just can’t bring myself to really get started in September. Anyone else out there like me?
Anyway – now that I’m finally getting into the spirit of things (the pun was a total accident there, but hey, I’ll go with it), I have a fun Halloween craft today for the young and young-at-heart: a mummy action figure! This project will take less than 30 minutes. Older kids can even help with this one.
What you’ll need:
- Craft wire – you don’t need anything specific, here. I just used the cheap copper stuff. It’s just going to make up the “bones” and will all be covered.
- Scraps of muslin – I used about a fat quarter’s worth, maybe less, and this guy is around Barbie sized. These are actually scraps from an old sheet my mom picked up at a garage sale.
- Scissors, wire cutters, and possibly some fabric glue
I didn’t measure anything here, just started pulling some wire off the coil and forming a body. I just eyeballed it – I formed the torso and legs first, then added arms, and eventually a base for his head. If anything looked a little short, I added another bit of wire, or if it was long, I trimmed it or folded it over. It doesn’t need to be pretty, it’s just the base.
Surely you could do better on the head, but frankly it didn’t matter at all. You’ll be making it round by wrapping it with fabric in the next step – this is just to have something to attach it to (and to make sure his head won’t fall off).
Then, I cut some 1/4″ to 1/2″ wide strips from my fabric. I just cut a notch to get it started, and ripped it the rest of the way to save time. A rough look works just fine for this project!
Then, I just wrapped.
And wrapped and wrapped, until the body looked full enough. When I joined new piece, I just wrapped it in tight, or if it was in an inconspicuous place or a place that needed more fullness, I tied a little knot. When I got to the outer layers, I tucked the ends in and secured them with a dot of fabric glue, just to make sure he wouldn’t unravel.
When I was done, I had a mummy!
And he is bend-able and pose-able, like any good action figure.
Be sure to join me for the Handmade Halloween Link Party – it starts today!
It is really cool project and I added it to my Halloween Craft Collection! You can find it in my Sweet Garden
What an idea! Thank you for the mummy!
This is a great tute- combines simplicity with a very satisfying result…and an original idea for Hallowe'en, too..a rare thing..thanks so much for sharing this..definitely gonna bookmark this idea!
I love your mummy action figure – adorable and hilarious at the same time! Just pinned the little guy! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing at the Pomp Party! =)
Can't say it enough. Love, love, love! :) I featured you on my blog today, come on over and check it out: http://www.artsyfartsymama.com/2012/10/pinteresting-features-n-shtuff-52.html
I love this little guy! He is so stinkin cute! I have featured him on my fb page. https://www.facebook.com/TheCraftyBlogStalker Don't forget to stop by and grab a feature button! Thanks for sharing on Blog Stalking Thursday!
This mummy action figure project is super adorable! It looks like something that would be great to make with older kids, AND, since our Linky Party this week is Halloween themed, we'd love it if you'd stop by and share it: Show and Tell: Boo! A Ghostly Linky Party…
We hope you stop by!
Thanks!
What a great idea, and super cute too! Thanks for sharing at The Fun In Functional!
Great idea! My boys are 9 and I know they are going to love doing this as a weekend craft project. Thanks for sharing!
I love that your mummy action figure is riding the pumpkin, I nearly spit out my wine! He could be like elf on a shelf, right?
Hilarious…
I'm hosting a linky for Halloween too. I wish I would have known about yours, because we could have had a massive one! :) Next year or for Christmas…
This is pretty much my favorite project – EVER. Makes me happy. I think I need one… :)
I love this…I love how you can have him do any pose you like…great idea! ~ Julie
This is Super Cute! Great idea – and a cheap & easy project … perfect :)
This is so fun and cute! I love his poses!
Oh my he is so cute! He would be a great addition to our Halloween wreath. I think we might need one.:)
My boys would love this!
These are so cute! My little one would like this.
That is adorable! I can't believe that is just craft wire under there!
Oh I am so doing this! That is the cutest Halloween decoration I have seen yet! Love it!
Super cute! I love the pose with his arms behind his head. :0)