☕ DIY Chicken Wire Mummy – Because Even Monsters Need Coffee

This year’s theme: chicken wire and caffeine. Meet our laid-back Halloween Mummy — a spooky creation built from chicken wire, shredded muslin, and a healthy respect for coffee breaks. He’s proof that the undead can be both creepy and cozy.

🌟 A Mummy with Personality

I’ll admit it — this one makes me laugh every time I walk past. He’s just hanging out, coffee in hand, living (well… un-living) his best fall life.

We’ve been on a roll with chicken wire this year — from ghosts to this relaxed little guy — and I have to say, it’s one of my favorite materials for Halloween builds. Lightweight, flexible, and easy to shape — once you get the hang of folding and overlapping it, you can make anything from graceful ghosts to caffeine-craving mummies.

🧻 Materials

• Chicken wire (1” hole, 24” width)

• Wire cutters

• Zip ties or extra wire (to hold sections together)

• Muslin fabric — enough to shred, roll, and wrap your mummy

• Dollar Tree mask (any kind with eye holes works great)

• Spray paint: brown, black, dark orange (no neon), and gray

• Dollar Tree coffee cup (or two — trust me, it’s funnier that way)

• Monster hands (Michael’s)

• Hay bale(s) or alternate seating (see below!)

• Green spotlight

• Green solar light chain (optional, adds a great glow)

🔧 Tools

• Scissors or fabric shears

• Wire cutters

• Gloves (because chicken wire bites)

• Spray paint area setup

🪄 Step 1: Build the Base

Your mummy’s body is built from simple chicken wire sections:

• Torso: 32 holes long (about 32") by 24" wide

• Legs: 18 holes long (about 18")

• Arms: 14 holes long (about 14")

• Head: 14 holes long (about 14")

• Neck: 10 holes long (about 10")

These sizes give a life-sized, seated mummy about 5–5½ feet tall once assembled.

To form each section:

1. Cut to size with wire cutters.

2. Roll into cylinders, overlapping the edges.

3. Secure seams with wire or zip ties.

4. Attach arms and legs to the torso by folding wire edges together and wiring in place.

Lightly pinch and flatten the tops of the arms and legs to form “shoulders” and “ankles.”

😱 Step 2: Give Him a Face

Attach your Dollar Tree mask to the head section using wire. This adds expression and gives you something to wrap and paint around — a simple way to make him feel more lifelike.

🧣 Step 3: Prep & Wrap the Muslin

Tear or cut your muslin into uneven strips.

💡 Pro Tip:
Before you start wrapping, roll each muslin strip like a bandage. When you’re ready, just unroll and wrap — it saves a ton of time (and frustration) compared to fighting loose strips while working.

Roll, drape, and wrap the muslin around your mummy’s frame, tying or wiring pieces to keep them secure. The goal is perfectly imperfect — think tattered, not tidy.

🎨 Step 4: Age with Paint (or Coffee!)

Use your spray paints to give him an aged, dusty look:

• Brown and gray for overall age and texture.

• A few quick hits of dark orange for warmth.

• Black for shadows — especially around the mask’s eye holes for depth.

💡 No Spray Paint?
No problem! Brew a strong pot of coffee or tea and use a spray bottle to mist your mummy’s muslin. It adds a soft, natural antique tone that looks perfectly weathered.

☕ Step 5: Add Attitude

Every monster needs personality.

Attach monster hands from Michael’s to the arms using wire and muslin wrap. Then wire a Dollar Tree coffee cup into his grip.

I added a skeleton friend on a nearby hay bale holding the same kind of cup — it looks like two ghouls catching up over coffee.

🌾 Step 6: Set the Scene

Seat your mummy on a hay bale and wire him into place with a small chicken wire stake behind him.

💡 No hay bale?
No problem. Plop him in a patio chair, on the porch steps, or even resting against a tree. There are no rules here — this guy looks good lounging anywhere.

Add a green spotlight for eerie underlighting and drape a green solar light chain across the hay (or around your display area) for an extra glow. Finish with a few tombstones up front — it’s pure monster coffee break energy.

🎃 Final Touch

This mummy takes just a few hours, but he’s easily one of the most charming (and caffeinated) additions to your Halloween yard. He’s proof that even monsters need their morning brew — and that spooky season can be fun, funny, and fabulously handmade.

✨ Bonus idea: Make two mummies for a real “coffee break crew” look.