Orange lights from Goodwill make the entryway very festive!

Decorating for Halloween is always fun and festive.  Here are some ways to make it frugal, as well. Decorating with homemade Halloween decorations and in particular with tablecloths can transform a room quickly. These projects do involve purchasing fabric but you will have these decorations for years to come. Holiday decorations are seen only once a year so investing and re-using is very wise. Plus, look at how cute this fabric is!

Homemade Halloween Decorations

This a little table throw that fits inside a tray. The tablecloth is lined and has piping around the edge.

Adding piping to table throws really fancies them up!

It fits inside a tray on the coffee table in our living room. I like how it adds just a bit Halloween to the living room. The tray sits on a tray table. See how nicely this fits inside the tray?  By sewing items, it’s easy to customize the size, too.

Below is our dining room table with a very festive Halloween tablecloth.  The tablecloth is lined with black fabric, which I extended on the sides and ends for extra detailing.

The black lining fabric is 3″ wider that the Halloween print. Sewn with right sides together, once it’s turned right side out and pressed, the black fabric works as a liner as well as gives it a border. I also extended the fabric on the ends and made a thick border with the black lining fabric.

To make this table cloth, follow the directions here – Flag Day Table Cloth.

The black fabric is wider than the jack-o-lantern fabric along the sides. Sew with right sides together and then turn right-side out.

Below is the edge of the table.  This tablecloth sits on top of the table and doesn’t drop down along the sides.  This is a very clean look and who needs a tablecloth to hang into their lap while they are eating?

Now, onto the kitchen. In our kitchen, we have a butcher block island that doubles as our kitchen table.

Our kitchen table is butcher block wood.

Here’s another tablecloth that’s really a slipcover, because it fits nice and snug around the wood.

The slipcover table cloth – snug fitting so it stays put.

This very “scary” tablecloth in our kitchen is lined with black fabric and features black piping around the outside.  Corner pleats make the cover fit nicely.

Kitchen island with Halloween tablecloth/slipcover.

After snacking and eating, I remove the cover and shake the crumbs off – outside.  Festive, fun, frugal and easy clean-up?  This sounds very Go Gingham to me!

Our entryway is another spot that’s ready for Halloween.

This is another trick I have for inexpensive holiday decorating – using lights.  These orange  lights (which I found at a second hand-store) are strung in our entry-way and give visitors a little “frightful” greeting.

These little jack-o-lanterns are plastic and have been used for over 20 years. At the end of the season, I fold them back up clip them together and then store them flat in a plastic bag.

If I keep my decorations organized, they stay neat and I want to use them again. When I take them down quickly and wad them up into a big ball (because I’m in a hurry and think I’m saving time!), I don’t want to use them again.

Buying items that are classic in style and good quality means you’ll use them for many years. By sewing tablecloths and reusing the same items every year, my house is transformed and decorated quickly.

What are your favorite ways to decorate for Halloween?
Do you re-use your decorations year after year or hunt for new (or “new” to you) treasures?
What types of homemade Halloween decorations will you try this year?

Go Gingham related links:

Matching napkins for Thanksgiving tablecloth – made from an old skirt
How to make a waistband smaller without pins!
Easy steps to remove pesky tags from clothing
Want to learn to sew? Start here with easy cloth napkins
How to take apart a skirt – use your seam ripper on this project!
How to sew a Harry Potter cape complete with wand pocket

Sara Tetreault

Sara Tetreault writes and speaks about living well on less with thoughtful spending, smart use of resources, and efficient use of time. Sara loves good food, travel, and cashmere. With home swapping, cooking at home, and buying items second-hand, she hopes to inspire you with her stylishly frugal ways. Sara keeps a home, one husband, two children, and three chickens in her backyard.

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