| Monster Spider and Spider Web |
From "DIY Halloween"
episode DHA-102 |
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Materials for Monster Spider: 6' chicken wire, 15" wide
50' of 1/2"copper tubing
White fabric
Two 3" styrofoam balls
2 brown or black ostrich feathers
Newspaper
Longhaired fun fur
Red velvet or ribbon
Black duct tape
Hot glue and glue gun
Scissors
Pliers
1" hog rings and hog ringer (or substitute zip ties)
T-pins
Multipurpose wire
Work gloves for protection - Cut three pieces of chicken wire each about 2-feet long. Bend the ends together on each piece, making three tubes (figure A). For the head, scrunch up one end and stuff it with tightly wadded newspaper. For the tail, do the same. (The head will be smaller than the tail.)
- Use hog rings to attach the head to the abdomen (which has not yet been stuffed with newspaper). You can use zip ties if you don't want to use hog rings.
- Cut the copper into four 10-foot lengths and thread them through the chicken wire abdomen (figure B). The tubing makes the legs of the spider. (Tape the ends of the tubing with duct tape to prevent scratches.) Stuff the abdomen with tightly wadded newspaper.
Note: Copper tubing is extremely pliable. Just crimp it with some pliers and then bend it back and forth to break it off. - Cut polar fleece into 2" to 3" strips. Attach the fleece to the top of the leg with some hot glue and then wrap the entire leg with the fleece (figure C). When you get to the end of the leg, just hot glue the end to the leg. Cover each leg with the fleece and continue covering the wire loops at the top, the face, and body. Wider strips of Berber polar fleece will be needed for the body and tail.
- Use pig rings to attach the tail to the abdomen.
- To make the pinchers, cut a 1-foot long piece of the copper tubing and bend it in half. Stick it through the chicken wire at the front of the head (figure D). Wrap the ends with black duct tape and then wrap the pinchers with the fleece.
- Wrap the whole head in the Berber polar fleece using 2" to 3" strips (figure E) hot gluing at you go.
- Take a 2-foot length of copper tubing and insert it at the bottom front of the head. Wad up some newspaper and attach it to thicken the "thighs" of the legs near the body with duct tape.
- For the eyes, cover each styrofoam ball with white fabric and tie it snugly in the back. Cut out a circle of black duct tape, cut out a pie shaped segment (figure F), and stick it to the front of the white ball. (Add a bit of sparkle to the eye with some white liquid paper.)
- Attach the eyes to the top of the head with T-pins or a hog ring, allowing them to protrude.
- Remove the "hair" from one side of each ostrich feather and glue it to the top of each eye (figure G).
Note: You can use feathers from a feather duster. - Hot glue pieces of longhaired fun fur to the top of the body and legs.
- Glue on a red velvet tongue or lips.
Note: Since the spider will be outside, it may get wet, but it won't decompose -- it will just become more scary! When you put it away, fold the legs inward to make it smaller. Materials for Cobweb: White nylon clothesline
4 cable "zip" ties
Scissors
Stakes (if needed) - Since a web is constructed with concentric circles (figure H), tie off the clothesline at several points in the yard to create the web's perimeter. The next thing you need to do is run the spoke lines, which needs to intersect with the center (figure I). This is where the spider will live. You can use the peak of your house and tree branches. Place the cobweb so that trick or treaters will have to walk under it to reach your door! Be sure this framework of rope is tight and secure. You may need to stake one or two ends of rope into the ground if you don't have enough trees available.
- To create the inner circle of the web (figure J), using short pieces of rope, tie them to the spokes going around the center until you have completed a circle. The more circles you create, the more lifelike your web will be.
- Place the spider on top, roughly in the center. It will cause the rope to sag a little. Bend and position the legs and attach them to ropes with zip ties.
- Trim the loose ends of all the ties.
Products: All supplies are available from hardware or farm supply stores and from fabric stores. For more ideas and information about decorating, visit the designer's website (see Guest, below).
GUESTS :
Charles Banfield
Charles Banfield Products
Website: www.charlesbanfield.com
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