The floating witch approach is completely different from the witch standing on the ground; she is not standing; she is flying; this means you don't need to make a lower body, legs, or shoes; you only need a head, a hat, and a flowing black cloth; leave the rest to the wind
This trend was insanely popular from 2025 to 2026, largely because of Pottery Barn's $99 floating witch; but someone recreated it for $13.50 using only basic supplies from Dollar Tree and craft stores
First choose your approach: umbrella version or minimalist version
There are two main ways to make a floating witch, and they differ greatly in cost and difficulty
The umbrella version is the most complete approach; the core is a Dollar Tree umbrella with the handle snapped off and the canopy facing up; the witch's legs hang upside down under the ribs, and the canopy itself becomes her skirt; this approach has the strongest visual impact because the curve of the opened umbrella makes the flying pose especially striking
The minimalist version is simpler; use a foam ball as the head, cover it with black cloth, tie it with string, add a hat, and hang it up; the blogger at Dinosaur Mama used this approach to make a witch for $13.50 each, saving 85% compared to Pottery Barn's $99
If you want a group of witches flying on the porch, the minimalist version is more cost-effective; if you're only making one or two as visual focal points, the umbrella version is worth the extra time
Umbrella version: snap the handle, hang the legs upside down
Materials: one Dollar Tree umbrella, a pair of witch legs (around $8 on clearance at Hobby Lobby), black mesh, black and orange sequin tulle, black pipe cleaners, and hot glue
Instructions: Open the umbrella and snap the handle — Dollar Tree umbrellas are brittle and will break after bending them back and forth a few times; wrap the rod part of the witch legs with black mesh, then hang the legs upside down under the ribs; secure the legs to the ribs with pipe cleaners and add a dab of hot glue to keep them from sliding
The canopy alone isn't full enough, so you need to weave black mesh between the ribs to create volume in the skirt; then cut strips of sequin tulle in varying lengths and tie them to the ribs so they hang naturally; finally, tuck a few sequin spiders into the skirt as decoration
To hang it, thread a pipe cleaner through the button at the top of the umbrella, twist it into a loop, and hang it with fishing line; hang it from the porch ceiling, a tree branch, or under a chandelier; when the wind blows, the whole umbrella will gently spin and the legs will sway, creating the sense of a witch in flight
Minimalist version: a piece of black cloth, a string
Materials: 4-inch foam ball, black burlap or cheesecloth, black sequin tulle, black twine or ribbon, cardboard, fishing line, and hot glue
Instructions: Use the foam ball as the head; if you bought a white foam ball, wrap it in black burlap first, otherwise the white will show through the holes in the cheesecloth
Fold the cheesecloth or black tulle in half and lay it on the table. Place the wrapped foam ball in the center. Pull up the four corners of the cloth, wrap it around the ball, and tie it tightly below the ball with black twine. If you tie it loosely, the cloth will drift like a cape; if you tie it tighter, it looks more like a body
Insert a cardboard cross inside the cloth (two 6-inch cardboard strips glued into a cross) to spread the width of the hem and also to hold the battery pack for the LED string lights. Wrap the fairy lights around the cardboard cross, and the light will shine through the gauze fibers, making the whole witch glow
Make the hat from black burlap: take a 12x12-inch piece of cloth, roll it into a cone, trim the bottom into a circle, and glue it together. Once the hat is on, wrap a length of twine around the joint between the brim and the head to hide the glue marks. Thread fishing line through the top of the hat and hang it on a Command hook
Three details that create the floating effect
Vary the heights. If three witches are hung in a straight horizontal line, they look like laundry hanging out to dry. Make some high, some low, some near, and some far. The tallest one almost touches the ceiling, and the lowest one hangs down to the height of the porch light. That feeling of a group of witches having just flown overhead depends entirely on the height difference
Lighting is the soul. During the day these witches are black silhouettes; at night they need light to come alive. Place a battery-powered LED tea light inside each witch's hat or inside the hem of her skirt, and the light will glow through the fabric, turning the witch into a luminous floating shape. If you are using the umbrella version, you can hide a small purple or green LED light at the top of the umbrella, shining it down from inside the canopy to light up the legs and skirt, which is far scarier than a plain black silhouette
Wind is a free animator. These witches need no motor and no battery-powered swaying. The longer the fishing line, the more they sway when the wind blows. Porches usually have a cross breeze, so once hung, they will gently spin and rock on their own. That feeling of being alive is something no mechanical device can create
Finally
The essence of the floating witch is not the witch but the sense of having just flown past
You look up at the porch ceiling, and there is nothing there. But if you hang three witches at staggered heights, their black cloth swaying gently in the wind and the light glowing from inside their hats, you will feel that a group of something just flew over your head — you missed it, but they left their trace
That feeling of having missed it by a second is what makes the floating witch so valuable
