One of my favorite fall decorations is a scarecrow for my front porch. Now I know you can pick up really cute, inexpensive scarecrows at your craft shops. But nothing is more satisfying than using your creativity and spending almost no money! 

Plus, it’s not only easy, but it’s a fun thing to do with the kids as well. So, let’s learn how to make a scarecrow several different ways and get to making a harvest home your goal this fall!

Method #1: Easy No-Frame Scarecrow

Before we dive into the step-by-step instructions, let’s gather the supplies you’ll need to bring your scarecrow to life.

What you will need:

• One shirt
• One pair of pants
• Hat
• Old white/ cream/ dark pillowcase for face, burlap, or scrap fabric
• Plastic shopping bags or old newspapers
• Safety Pins
• String or narrow rope
• Small amounts of straw, raffia, or dried grass
• Permanent markers or felt scraps for facial features

With your materials at the ready, let’s embark on crafting your very own scarecrow!

Step 1: Prepare the shirt and pants

Start by laying the shirt and pants flat on a table or clean floor. Button, zip, or otherwise close the shirt and pants so the stuffing will not easily fall out as you work. 

Use pieces of string or narrow rope to tie the ends of the shirt sleeves closed. Do the same with the bottoms of both pant legs. Make sure the knots are secure, but leave enough room to add stuffing through the neck and waist openings.

Step 2: Stuff the clothing

Begin filling the shirt and pants with crumpled plastic shopping bags or loosely crumpled newspaper. Work a little at a time, pushing the stuffing toward the ends of the sleeves and pant legs before adding more. 

Keep adding stuffing until the clothing looks full and rounded, but don’t pack it so tightly that the scarecrow becomes stiff. Leave enough flexibility to bend the arms and legs into a natural sitting or standing position.

If you’re using newspaper, crumple the sheets rather than folding them into flat pieces. This will help create a fuller, more three-dimensional shape.

Step 3: Connect the shirt and pants

Once both pieces of clothing are stuffed, place the shirt over the top of the pants so the bottom of the shirt overlaps the waistband. Use several safety pins around the waist to connect the two pieces. 

For extra security, you can also tie a piece of string around the waist. This will help keep the stuffing from spilling out and prevent the shirt from pulling away from the pants when you move your scarecrow.

Step 4: Make the scarecrow’s head

Use an old pillowcase, a piece of burlap, or another scrap of fabric to create the head. If you’re using a pillowcase, push stuffing into the corners first and then continue filling the center until you have a roughly round or oval shape.

Add more newspaper or plastic bags to make the head as large as you’d like. Once it has the desired shape, tuck or fold the open end of the fabric inward.

Use a permanent marker to draw eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Or, cut eyes, eyebrows, or a mouth from pieces of felt and attach them with fabric glue.

Step 5: Attach the head to the body

Place the finished head into the neck opening of the shirt. Tuck the bottom edge of the pillowcase, burlap, or fabric into the shirt so the raw edges are hidden.

Secure the head to the shirt with several safety pins placed around the neck opening. Check that the pins are firmly closed and that the head feels secure before moving the scarecrow.

Finally, place the hat on its head. You can pin the hat to the fabric underneath if it tends to slip or if your scarecrow will be displayed outside.

Step 6: Add straw or raffia for a finishing touch

Now it’s time to give your scarecrow that classic straw-filled look. Tuck small handfuls of straw, raffia, or dried grass around the neck, wrists, and ankles so it looks like the stuffing is poking out of the clothing.

You can also add a little straw underneath the hat or around the sides of the head to create hair. If the straw doesn’t stay in place, secure a few pieces with fabric glue or tuck them more firmly into the clothing.

Avoid using too much straw at once. A few loose pieces sticking out will give your scarecrow a more natural, rustic appearance.

Step 7: Position your scarecrow

Your scarecrow is now ready to display! Place it on your front porch, next to a garden, or anywhere you’d like to add a little fall decoration.

If you want your scarecrow to stand upright, lean it against a chair, porch post, bale of hay, or another sturdy object. For an outdoor display, make sure the scarecrow is protected from strong wind and rain, particularly if you’ve used newspaper as stuffing.

For an extra festive touch, add a pumpkin, basket, corn stalks, or other fall decorations around your scarecrow.

Method #2: Traditional Standing Scarecrow

If you want a scarecrow that can stand on its own in the garden or yard, a simple wooden frame is the way to go. This method takes a little more preparation than the no-frame version, but the finished scarecrow will be sturdier and easier to position outdoors.

What you will need:

• One long wooden stake or garden stake, about 5–6 feet long
• One shorter piece of wood, about 2–3 feet long, for the arms
• One shirt
• One pair of pants
• Hat
• Pillowcase, burlap, or scrap fabric for the face
• Plastic shopping bags, old newspapers, straw, leaves or other stuffing
• Strong string or narrow rope
• Safety pins
• Permanent markers or felt scraps for facial features
• Hammer or mallet
• Optional: zip ties, twine, or screws for securing the frame

Step 1: Build the scarecrow’s frame

Lay the long wooden stake on the ground. This will form the scarecrow’s body and extend into the ground to keep it standing.

Place the shorter piece of wood horizontally across the long stake about 12–18 inches below the top. This will become the scarecrow’s arms.

Secure the two pieces of wood together where they cross. You can use strong twine, zip ties, or a couple of screws, depending on the type of wood you’re using. Make sure the crosspiece is firmly attached and doesn’t wobble.

The top of the long stake should extend several inches above the arm piece. This extra section will support the scarecrow’s head.

Step 2: Prepare the clothing

Button or zip the shirt closed, leaving the neck, waist, and ends of the sleeves open. Lay the pants flat and leave the waistband open.

If the shirt or pants are particularly large, that’s perfectly fine. Oversized clothing will give your scarecrow a fuller, more traditional look once it’s stuffed.

Step 3: Put the shirt onto the frame

Slide the shirt over the wooden frame, carefully feeding each arm of the crosspiece through one of the shirt sleeves. Continue pulling the shirt down until the long stake sits inside the center of the shirt.

Adjust the shirt so the arm piece sits approximately where the scarecrow’s shoulders would be.

Tie the ends of both sleeves closed around the wooden crosspiece using string or twine. This will keep the sleeves in place and prevent the stuffing from falling out.

Step 4: Attach the pants

Pull the pants over the bottom portion of the wooden stake. The stake should run down between the two pant legs.

Tie the waistband securely around the stake. You can use strong string or twine to keep the pants from sliding down.

At this point, the basic body should look like a person standing with its arms stretched out to either side.

Step 5: Stuff the shirt

Starting at the bottom of the shirt, fill the body with crumpled newspaper, plastic shopping bags, or straw. Push the stuffing into the corners and sleeves so the scarecrow develops a full, rounded shape.

Fill each sleeve first, working the stuffing toward the cuffs. Then fill the chest and stomach area. Add enough stuffing to give the body some shape, but don’t pack it so tightly that the shirt becomes difficult to position around the frame.

Periodically step back and look at your scarecrow from a few feet away. Add or remove stuffing as needed to create the shape you want.

Step 6: Stuff the pants

Fill each pant leg with your chosen stuffing, working from the bottom upward. Push the stuffing all the way down toward the cuffs before adding more.

Keep the two legs relatively even in size so your scarecrow doesn’t look lopsided. You can use more or less stuffing to create bent knees or a slightly relaxed pose.

Once the legs are full, tie the bottoms of the pant legs closed with string or tuck straw around the openings.

Step 7: Make the head

Use a pillowcase, burlap bag, or piece of scrap fabric to create the scarecrow’s head. Fill it with crumpled newspaper, plastic bags, or straw until it reaches the size and shape you want.

For a traditional scarecrow, an oval or slightly rounded head works well. Don’t worry about making it perfectly smooth; some bumps and wrinkles will add character!

Draw the eyes, nose, and mouth with a permanent marker, or cut facial features from felt and attach them with fabric glue.

Step 8: Attach the head to the frame

Place the finished head over the top of the wooden stake so the stake sits inside the center of the head.

Secure the bottom of the head around the stake and neck area using strong string, twine, or safety pins. Make sure it is attached firmly enough that the head won’t blow away or slide off when the scarecrow is moved.

Place the hat on top of the head. If the scarecrow will be outdoors, attach the hat with a safety pin or some twine so it stays in place on windy days.

Step 9: Add straw and finishing details

Give your scarecrow some personality by adding small handfuls of straw, raffia, or dried grass around the wrists, ankles, and neck. You can also tuck straw underneath the hat to create hair.

You can always add accessories (based on what you have lying around), like a bandana around the neck, a pair of old gloves on the hands, or a scarf around the shoulders. You can even add patches to the shirt or pants for a more weathered, traditional look.

Step 10: Place the scarecrow in the ground

Choose a spot in your garden or yard where the scarecrow will be visible and won’t block your paths or get in the way of a lawnmower.

Stand the scarecrow upright and push the exposed end of the wooden stake into the ground. If the soil is hard, use a hammer or mallet to drive the stake several inches into the ground. Try not to hit the clothing or the upper part of the scarecrow!

Once the stake is firmly in the ground, check that the scarecrow is standing straight and isn’t wobbling. You might need to pack some dirt around the base of the stake for extra support.

If you live in a particularly windy area, you can tie the scarecrow to a nearby fence post or other sturdy structure with twine.

DIY Scarecrow FAQs

What can you stuff a scarecrow with?

You can stuff a scarecrow with crumpled newspaper, plastic shopping bags, straw, raffia, or dried grass. Newspaper and plastic bags are inexpensive options for a porch or indoor scarecrow, while straw is a great option for a traditional outdoor display.

How do you make a scarecrow stand up?

The easiest way to make a scarecrow stand up is to build a simple frame from two pieces of wood. Attach a shorter piece horizontally across a longer stake to create the body and arms, then push the bottom of the long stake into the ground.

How do you make a scarecrow head?

To make a scarecrow head, fill a pillowcase, burlap bag, or piece of fabric with newspaper, plastic bags, or straw. Shape it into a round or oval head, then add facial features with a permanent marker or felt pieces.

How do you make a small scarecrow?

For a small scarecrow, use children’s clothing and shorten the frame to match the size of the clothes. A small scarecrow can also be made without a frame by stuffing the clothing and placing it on a chair, hay bale, or other support.

How do you make a scarecrow for a garden?

A garden scarecrow is best made with a sturdy wooden frame so it can stand safely outdoors. Use weather-resistant clothing or materials when possible, and anchor the stake firmly in the soil to keep the scarecrow upright in the wind.

How do you make a scarecrow for a school project?

For a school project, a small scarecrow made from children’s clothing, newspaper, and a simple cardboard or wooden frame can be an easy option. Students can also personalize the scarecrow with a creative face, colorful clothing, and other decorative details.

Looking for More Scarecrow Inspo?

We hope you love our DIY scarecrow tutorials! If you’re wondering how to give your scarecrow a little extra personality, we’d love it if you checked out our 15 Creative DIY Scarecrow Ideas for Your Fall Yard & Porch!

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