Garden Scarecrow Ideas

Frames

• When choosing a scarecrow frame, select one sturdy enough to endure wind and weather as well as an occasional attack by brazen birds. The frame should be shaped like a human with arms and legs that can be dressed with clothes and accessories. You can build a simple cross design by perpendicularly attaching a short slender post across the top of a larger piece to create a pair of arms, or make a crisscross pattern to give the scarecrow two legs and two arms. Stiff wires or pieces of pipes can be shaped into a scarecrow body, or you can salvage a discarded mannequin from a local clothing store to use as the scarecrow body.

Heads

• If you are lucky enough to score a mannequin with a head, that is the best option. Other good items to use as a head are hollowed-out pumpkins, round wicker baskets, buckets or burlap feed bags filled with fall leaves, hay or straw. Paint a nose, mouth and eyes on the head with paint that can withstand rain and sunlight. Place a wig on the scarecrow head, or make hair out of yarn or twine and glue it to the head.

Clothing

• Bright, patterned clothing is the best deterrent for birds. You can make your scarecrow a man, woman or child as long as their clothes are garishly colored and loose enough to blow in the wind to scare the birds. Families of scarecrows occupy some larger gardens, with the mother protecting one area and the father and kids guarding other sections. They can be dressed in old family clothes, or you can pick up secondhand attire at thrift stores. For added fun, dress them as caricatures of past or present family members, friends, or pop stars, or decorate them as animals or nursery rhyme and cartoon characters.

Stuffing

• After you dress the scarecrow frame, you must stuff the clothing to give it bulk. Straw is a good stuffing material, as are hay, corn shocks, wood shavings or chips, and fall leaves. After you stuff the arms and legs of the scarecrow, use a needle and thread or household stapler to secure the edges and keep the stuff securely in place. Periodically check the scarecrow’s outfit for rips and tears, and repair them before the stuffing falls out.

Accessories

• Big hats are good scarecrow accessories as they flop in the wind and add humor to the scarecrow’s appearance. Other good scarecrow accessories include strings of beads, bracelets, hoop earrings, gloves, shoes and boots.