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How to make
a Scarecrow...
Originally
used by farmers to keep birds away from important crops, in times
gone bye they were very much part of the landscape.
Scarecrows
are not expensive to make, and you can have fun by easily making
a scarecrow from everyday items that are lying about the house,
they can be as crazy or silly as you like.
This easy set
of instructions may be of help in making your scarecrow, and
remember it requires no more complicated skill other than cutting
and tying.
You only need
a few items to make your scarecrow and clothes that are too far
gone to give away are just great. Suggest that you will need
a pair of tights or nylons, an old shirt, an old pair of pants
or jeans, scraps of fabric, a hat, some glue, old rope for the
hair, and paper or hay for stuffing.
Making the
scarecrow head is possibly the hardest part, but with an old
pair of tights or nylons you can make an easy start. Tie a knot
at the top of the leg, or legs in the case of tights, then stuff
the top, not the legs with hay or paper (shredded is easier).
When the top is full tie a further knot in the top. You will
now have a large round base for the head. Now cut scraps of fabric
or felt into shapes for the eyes, nose and mouth.
You can be very fancy if you wish, but simple triangles, circles,
squares work just as well. Glue the shapes to the face and allow
them to dry. At this point you can add hair made of long pieces
of fabric, string, unplatted synthetic rope, and glue in place.
If all fails you can of course simply buy a mask. (If you prefer,
faces and hair can be glued on after the scarecrow has been assembled,
when it will be easier to determine the front of the head).
For the body,
button up the shirt, and starting with the arms fill with straw
or paper. If you use hay, you can pull a bundle through the arms
to resemble hands. A similar effect can be achieved by tying
the wrists of the shirt with string. Fill the shirt as full as
possible, but remember you will need room to get your hands into
the front and back of the shirt when you assemble the scarecrow.
Next make the
scarecrows legs by stuffing the jeans or trousers with paper
or hay, don't forget to close the zip, then fill from the ankles
to the waist. Like the wrists, you just tie the pants close to
the bottom with string, or let some hay hang out for feet. Leave
the pants open at the top.
You now have
all your pieces ready to assemble your scarecrow. Take the empty
stocking legs of the head and attach them to the body. To do
this, run one leg through the neck of the shirt at the front
and the other through the back of shirt neck. Pull the nylon
legs all the way through to the bottom of the shirt. Tug firmly
on the legs so that the head sits firmly on the top of the shirt
neck.
Add the legs
to the scarecrow. Bring the filled pants close to the assembled
head and body. Tie one leg of the nylons to the belt loop in
the front of the trousers, making sure to pull the nylon leg
through the loop until its tight. Then do the same for the nylon
leg at the back of the shirt.
All that remains
is to top off your scarecrow with a hat or cap, with that the
scarecrow is complete !!! Now if it is going to stand it will
need a stick or broom handle up the back of the shirt, but it
could be that you want it to sit on an old chair.
Some weather
proofing can be achieved by firstly putting the hay/paper stuffing
inside dustbin bags.
Don't forget
give your Scarecrow a name !
How to make a scarecrow
- more information...
A home-made scarecrow will look really good in your garden and
it might even keep the birds away but it is still fun to make
one.
Here is a list of what you will need:
1 - stake about 2m long (6ft)
1 - stake about 1m long (3ft)
1 -stake about 30cm long (12 inches)Old Clothes (shirt or jumper,
trousers, hat)
An old pair of tights
Some straw or hay
String
How to make
your scarecrow:
First of all tie the 1m stake to the 2m stake, about 15cm from
one end, in a cross shape and then tie the other stake in the
same way about half way down. This is the frame for your scarecrow.
You are now ready to make a head. Cut one leg from the tights
and fill with some straw. Push the straw firmly to the end and
make it into a ball shape. Tie a piece of string around the tights
to stop the straw falling out.
Now tie the ball shape to the top of the frame.
You can now dress your scarecrow by placing the shirt on the
top crossbar and the trousers on the smaller bar.
Push straw or hay inside the clothes to fill them out and place
the hat on his head. If you want you can push some straw under
the hat and leave it dangling out to look like hair.
Your scarecrow is now ready for display.
To download these instructions as a PDF file for printing,
click here...
Do you
need straw for your scarecrow? If so, please contact Liz Sampson
on 700823
Try these links for scarecrow ideas and how to make yours...
to follow...
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