It’s too late to celebrate Build a Scarecrow Day. That was July 5th, but it was for gardeners and farmers. That was also Workaholic’s Day, so building a scarecrow gave those folks a break.
Your fall scarecrow will be more festive. You can dress it in whatever outfit you like from formal on down, because it doesn’t have to scare birds away. It can stand, sit, or lean, and it will be part of your Halloween and Thanksgiving decor.
Decide if your work of art will be stuck into the ground or tied to a fence, drainpipe or whatever. If it goes into the ground, the main pole will be longer.
* Cut a 10-foot stake or piece of bamboo into two pieces, one 6-foot piece (shorter if it won’t go into the ground) and the other 3 or 4 feet long.
* Place the smaller section across the 6-foot piece about 1 foot down from the top. Secure with wire or twine.
* Put a shirt on the crosspiece and button it. Stuff it loosely with hay, dry leaves or rags.
* Secure stuffed gloves to the ends of the arms with a rubber band.
* Some people tie another small section onto the long stake to make a waist for the pants. Others just tuck in the stuffed shirt and secure the pants to the main stake with rope or twine.
* Pull one leg of a pair of trousers onto the stake. The other leg hangs freely. (You could bend it at the “knee” to rest on a bale of hay or planter.) Stuff the pants with the same material as the shirt.
* Make a head for your scarecrow by stuffing a pillowcase and using marker pens to make the face or gluing on buttons for the eyes. Make the mouth from yarn.
* Tie the opening onto the stake with a rope. Add a hat for more interest.
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