Friendly Straw Scarecrow

Make your own miniature scarecrow for autumn decorating with this fun scarecrow craft project from FloraCraft. Use natural materials like burlap, jute and straw to create this fun and friendly scarecrow.

Materials:
FloraCraft® Brand Products:

• Design It:® Foam Cutter
• Straw Porch Bale, 18″
• Nativity Straw, 4 pkgs. of 4 oz. each

STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam:

• Sheet, 12″ x 18″
• Disc, 8 7/8″ x 1 13/16″

More Materials:

• Child’s bib overalls with shirt, 2T size (ideally with snaps between legs)
• Child’s denim hat
• 3 Dowels, 12″ length of 3/8″ wide
• Burlap, 1 yd.
• Natural jute, 2 yds.
• Red rickrack, 8″ length
• 2 Brown buttons with holes, 1 1/4″
• 1 Ivory button with shank, 1 1/4″
• Black embroidery floss, 10″ length
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Scissors
• Pencil

Instructions:

1. For body, use Foam Cutter to cut STYROFOAM* sheet into 10″ x 14″ piece. For “shoulders” trim rounded corners on one short end. Mark center point on top and bottom edges of STYROFOAM™ sheet.
    
2. Slip on shirt over STYROFOAM* sheet, then overalls. Insert one dowel half-way into bale slightly off center. Place scarecrow on top of dowel, running dowel up through snap leg area and into center edge of STYROFOAM* sheet. (Note: if overalls don’t have snap legs cut a small hole.)
    
3. For head, cut 30″ circle from burlap. Insert a dowel into edge of disk, going half-way into foam. Place burlap over disc and finger-gather burlap at dowel. Ask a helper to tie 10″ piece of jute around burlap and dowel and knot securely. Insert dowel into center edge of STYROFOAM* body.
    
4. For face, glue rickrack smile onto face. Insert floss into button eyes and glue to face. Glue button nose onto face.
    
5. Working outdoors, make four bunches of gathered straw to become the hands and feet of scarecrow. Ask a helper to use 10″ lengths of jute to tie each bunch. Then hot glue one end of bunch to hold straw strands together. Set aside.
    
6. Stuff chest, each arm and leg with loose straw. To form elbows tie 10″ piece of jute around each elbow area. Insert and glue one straw bunch for each hand. Similarly, tie jute around wrist area. Twist ends of jute in opposite direction for frayed look. Insert one straw bunch for each foot and glue bunch inside pant leg.
    
7. Glue hat at an angle onto scarecrow’s head. For hair, glue small groups of straw strands all around hat. Diagonally trim with scissors as needed. Glue straw into neck opening of shirt.
    
8. Raise scarecrow’s left arm and insert last dowel into sleeve, working dowel down into STYROFOAM* body.
    

®™* Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow