Dorothy– “How can you talk if you haven’t got a brain?”
Scarecrow – “I don’t know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don’t they?”
Dorothy – “Yes, I guess you’re right.”
-Quote from The Wizard of Oz
Welcome Salvage Friends!
Today, we have a special guest feature, a sweet Instagram friend, Jann from Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson. She will be sharing this super fun Pitchfork Scarecrow. Without further ado, here’s Jann…….
Table of Contents
PITCHFORK SCARECROW
Hi,
I’m so excited to be sharing a repurposed salvaged project with you today. A big thanks to Salvage Sister and Mister!!
One of my favorite things is to dig through thrift shops and estate sales for hidden treasures.
It makes my heart feel good when I save something from being salvaged!
>Definition of salvage
: to rescue or save especially from wreckage or ruin
I have a weakness for old garden tools especially ones that have bits of colored paint.
This pitchfork was found at an estate sale for $6! The orange color is perfect for this fall project.
TIP – You can often find old garden tools at thrift shops.
SUPPLIES
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- Old garden tool: Pitchfork, shovel, hoe, etc.
- 1/2 yard of fabric. Drop Cloth, Muslin, etc.
- Wool Scraps, for eyes
- Stick, for nose
- Freezer Paper (optional)
- Pencil and Scissors
- Embroidery Floss, Needle, and Two Buttons
- Stuffing and Jute
- Sewing Machine
- Raffia, or natural colored packing
- Feed Sack or Old Flannel Shirt
- Old Hat, Flowers, Ribbons, etc., to decorate it
HOW TO~
I sketched a very simple scarecrow face on a piece of freezer paper.
You may want to sketch your own face, but I am including a PDF at the bottom of this post for my pattern if you would like to use it.
Freezer paper works great because it will stick to your fabric when you iron it on which eliminates you having to pin it. I had some scraps of drop cloth from a previous project so I decided I would use that.
After ironing the pattern to the drop cloth, I cut it out a little larger to allow for seam allowance. You need to make sure that the neck opening will fill over the handle of your tool,
(pitchfork, shovel, etc.)
I cut two 2″ x 3″ rectangles out of wool scraps, folded them in half, and cut them into a triangle.
Then, I drew the mouth right onto the fabric, but you could use graphite to transfer it if you aren’t comfortable doing that. I knew it would be much easier to stitch the face details before sewing the front and back together.
Next, I did the couching stitch. I used three strands of black embroidery floss and came up at one end of the mouth.
Couching:
Lay the first thread along the drawn mouth line. With another threaded needle stitch a line over the top of the first thread. It will hold the thread in place. You can always just draw the mouth on with a permanent black marker if you preferred.
I tacked the wool eyes on with a running stitch and then added buttons to the middle…..mismatched ones.
A stick was used for the nose and just stitched over it 4 times on the top and bottom.
Now, the face is done and he’s ready to be sewn together.
I did a 3/8″ seam and left the bottom open for turning and stuffing.
I clipped each side of the neck and then turned the head right side out.
TIP – I often use inexpensive Walmart pillows for stuffing rather than bags of stuffing.
I inserted the handle of the pitchfork into the head and stuffed around it as that would make it much sturdier.
After stuffing I tied it off with a piece of jute.
DECORATING THE PITCHFORK SCARECROW~
I thought I would use raffia for his hair, but I didn’t have any. I did however, have a bag of this brown packing material. One day while shopping at T.J. Maxx with friends we noticed a lady stocking shelves and she had boxes full of this packing. We asked if we could have some and she was more than generous and told us to take whatever we wanted. I crunched pieces of it together and tied it off with jute. Using needle and thread I tacked it to the scarecrows head.
Raffia would work great, but I’m a true believer in using what you have!
|CHECK OUT THESE REPURPOSED PUMPKINS IDEAS|
Every scarecrow needs a hat, right? I had this one in the dress up closet I have for the grands. Perfect, but it looks just a little too new. That’s an easy fix! I just took scissors and cut into the brim here and there.
I then added a large stick for arms. The hubby simply lashed it onto the pitchfork with string while I held it.
I had an old feed sack and slit open the bottom, cut two arm holes, and slipped it over the scarecrow’s head. The material was gathered up around the neck, by hand, and tied it off with jute. Then, I tied more of the brown packing to the stick arms.
If you like, you could easily use a flannel shirt.
My pitchfork scarecrow is a bit silly, but I love him, or is it a her?
He happily welcomes people to my she shed, “Hilltop Cottage”.
This weekend I started pulling out my Halloween décor and found this Dollar Tree crow.
Just what my scarecrow needed!!
For Scarecrow face pattern PDF…….
Hugs,
We are so thankful to Jann for sharing this super cute scarecrow project with us. Be sure to check to check out her blog HERE ! And if you are interested in a possible feature, you can get more information HERE.
BTW – If you sign up for our newsletter, we have a special gratitude printable for you!
Thanks Deborah for this opportunity! I had a great time. The scarecrow really is an easy project. I hope some of your readers give it a try! I’ve done a shout out on my blog as well. Thanks again!!
hugs,
Jann
Jann, Thank you again for sharing such a fun project! It’s adorable and I need one STAT
This is incredibly clever and I cant wait to try it. Thank you for sharing
Phoebe x
Phoebe, So cute, right? I need one in my yard as well. Jann is amazing!
I’ve pinned this to several of my boards for next summer. This scarecrow would be cute all summer long and far into fall.
Thanks for pinning and he sure would be fun for summer into fall and beyond!
Super Cute!He is adorable!Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! It was a fun DIY.
Oh my goodness, so cute! I didn’t realize it was a pitchfork, Jann!
Rita, Right? Jann is amazing
I love this…it is so creative! I’m not blessed with creativity so I have to live vicariously through others! Have a great one!
Lol. I bet there’s some creativity in there! Thanks for visiting.
This is so cute!! What a great project! Thanks for sharing!
Hugs,
Deb
You are so talented! This is just a wonderful scarecrow.
Maria
Maria recently posted…How To Recycle Wreath in 5 Artistic Ways
Maria, Yeah Jann is ahhmazing!
Very cute, I love him but it’s a good job it doesn’t really need to scare anything.
Claire, Great point!!!
Adorable! I made a similar head for my abs pipe scarecrow ..the pitchfork is a great idea.
Pinned
Sandra recently posted…MAKE IT MONDAY-COFFIN WREATH STAND
That’s awesome! What a great idea.
Oh what an adorable little scarecrow! It’s the cutest ever! Love it’s face and that hair. Jann did an amazing job on it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Linda at Mixed Kreations recently posted…Fridays Trip to Goodwill
Isn’t he? So cute
Jann – this is amazingly creative and adorable. I have definitely pinned this one. Thanks for sharing it at #HomeMattersParty
Donna, Thanks for stopping by!
Im calling scarecrow a she! And I love it! Very clever!
Sylvia | Grace for a Gypsy recently posted…A Gathering of Friends Link Party 3
Haha..Thanks Sylvia
Great project. Pinned
Thank you Anita
Thanks Anita. She did a great job on it. I need to make one myself.
So cute. I love fall and Halloween crafts. Never thought about using a pitchfork. I have passed up many at estate and yard sales.
Pamela recently posted…Summer Back Deck
She did such a great job.
Nice to see Jann here today! Her pitchfork scarecrow is adorable 🙂
I know. She did such a great job!