How to make a scarecrow

Whether you've got a bird problem or just want some festive outdoor decoration, a scarecrow is the perfect project.

Step 1: Stuff the pants
Tie off an old pair of pants at the bottom of each leg with twine. Stuff the pants with hay or other stuffing until they’re firm and full.

Step 2: Make the head and arms
Make the head and arms by stuffing a pair of panty hose. Tie off at the waistband; then put both legs into the sleeves of the shirt, so the top of the pantyhose sits above the shirt collar as the scarecrow’s head.

Step 3: Stuff the shirt
Leaving the shirt unbuttoned, tuck it into the pants. Then, safety pin it to the pants from the inside around the waist. Stuff the chest, buttoning the shirt as you go, until the body is full.

Step 4: Fill and pin gloves
Fill the gardening gloves with hay, tie them off, and pin them to the sleeves.

Step 5: Attach boots
Hot glue old boots to the bottom of the pants.

Step 6: Add finishing touches
Put a burlap sack over the head, and tie it in place at the neck. Cut out pieces of scrap fabric eyes, nose, and a mouth, and glue them into place. Then add finishing touches like suspenders, a hat, and loose straw around the head and collar.

Step 7: Attach a frame
Nail the 2-by-4s into a cross, so the shorter piece is about 8 inches from the top of the longer piece. Staple the back of the scarecrow’s collar and pants to the longer piece of the frame. Staple the shirt cuffs and the shoulders to the crosspiece. The boots should be about a foot from the bottom of the longer piece.

Prop the scarecrow up near your front door if you don’t want to set up a frame.

Step 8: Plant the frame
Dig a hole about a foot deep. Plant the bottom of the frame in the hole so the boots are touching the ground. Fill the hole in and pat the dirt down. Step back and marvel at a scarecrow worthy of the yellow brick road!

Fact: Farmers in the Nile River Valley used scarecrows to ward off flocks of birds more than 3,000 years ag