Halloween-Themed Skeleton Banner with Free SVG

I love Halloween decorations that are a little spooky but still fun, and this skeleton banner fits right in.

I made the skeletons with my Cricut and a free SVG that includes drawn bone details, so each little skeleton has plenty of personality.

The arms and legs are connected with embroidery floss, which lets them dangle in different poses once they're hanging.

They're more friendly than frightening, making this an easy Halloween craft for your home, a party, or even a classroom.

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Supply List

• Cricut Cutting Machine
• StandardGrip Mat
• Posable Skeleton SVG
• Cardstock
• Pen
• DMC Floss
• Cord
• Scissors
• Glue

Grab the Free Posable Skeleton SVG

The Posable Skeleton SVG includes separate pieces for the head, body, arms, hands, legs, and feet, plus bone details drawn with your Cricut pen.

I made my skeletons about 5 inches tall, which worked well for the banner.

I don't recommend making them much smaller because there are several small pieces and details to cut, draw, and assemble. Going larger should be no problem and would be really fun for bigger Halloween décor.

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Setting Up the SVG in Cricut Design Space

Upload the Posable Skeleton SVG into Cricut Design Space and add it to your canvas.

The SVG contains both cut and draw layers.

When you first upload the file, the draw details will appear in Design Space as cut lines, so you'll need to change those layers to the Draw operation before sending the project to your Cricut.

Highlight the design, open the layers panel, and ungroup.

The blue layer is the line you need to change to Draw.

So, moving down the layers panel, highlight a blue shape, click Operation, and change it to Draw. Then attach it to the piece below.

Attaching them tells Design Space exactly where those details belong when the Cricut draws and cuts the cardstock.

Once you've set up one skeleton, duplicate the finished design to make as many skeletons as you'd like.

I used five for my banner, so I duplicated my original four times.

Before cutting, check the mat preview to make sure all of the pieces fit correctly on your cardstock.

I used 60 lb. cardstock with More Pressure because I find the extra pressure gives me cleaner paper edges.

Follow the prompts in Design Space for loading the pen and Fine-Point Blade.

These pieces are small, so take your time removing them from the mat.

I like to turn the mat over and gently bend the mat away from the cardstock instead of pulling the paper up from the mat.

Tips for Assembling Your Skeletons

This project has quite a few little pieces, and once you have several skeletons cut out, things can get confusing quickly.

Before assembling anything, I like to arrange all the pieces into complete skeletons, so I know everyone has two arms, two hands, two legs, and two feet.

One easy way to check the placement is to look at the hands and feet. The thumbs should point inward toward the body, and the big toes should point inward too.

Assembling the smaller skeletons is a bit more tedious than with larger ones, but I love how the smaller skeletons look.

Work on one skeleton at a time, and turn all the pieces over so they face down.

I used DMC embroidery floss to connect the pieces instead of gluing the joints directly together.

Leaving a little space between the connected pieces gives the arms and legs more movement, while placing the pieces closer together makes them move less.

DMC floss has six individual strands, and I separated mine into two groups of three. This keeps the connection lightweight while still giving the paper pieces something flexible to hang from.

A thin line of glue is all you need to hold the floss in place.

You can add a little more glue over the floss for extra security, but don't go crazy, or you'll be waiting even longer for everything to dry.

Fair warning, assembling five little skeletons is surprisingly tedious.

It isn't difficult, but it's a great project to work on while watching a scary movie or something equally festive.

Once you turn them right side up, all that fiddly work is worth it. I love that every skeleton can be positioned a little differently.

Creating and Displaying the Banner

Once the skeletons are assembled and completely dry, they're ready to turn into a banner.

Space them evenly along your cord before attaching anything so you can adjust the placement and decide how long you want the finished banner to be.

I attached mine with glue and waited for it to dry. In hindsight, hot glue would have made this part much faster, especially after I'd already spent plenty of time waiting for the skeleton joints to dry!

Whichever adhesive you choose, make sure everything is completely secure before picking up the banner.

The paper skeletons are lightweight, but you don't want one making a dramatic escape the first time you hang it.

This would also be a cute decoration for a Halloween party.

Add it near the candy or dessert table, use it with a spooky Halloween party theme, or hang it somewhere your guests can see all of those little skeletons showing off their best looks.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Halloween Cricut Crafts

Once the skeletons are hanging, keep that Cricut going!

Here are a few more Halloween Cricut crafts to help you decorate, make party décor, or create something fun for the kids this Halloween.