Pitchfork Scarecrow – Fall Decor

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…….

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 

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…….

Print Here

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!