This fun recycled craft made from a paper towel roll and scrap fabrics and felts is an adorable project for Fall. Gather the kids around, pull out the craft supplies and get cracking on your own scarecrows!
You will need
cardboard tube from paper towel or wrapping paper
straw doll hat
felt: tan, peach or cream, light blue, orange, and brown
bandana
3 buttons
2 pink sequins
2 small wiggle eyes
2" piece of skinny black chenille
1" foam flower
1/2" brown pom pom
scissors
white craft glue or hot glue gun
Editor's Note: We used hot glue as it adheres so much quicker than white craft glue. However, if you are making this project with small children, you may want to use white glue or even a glue stick. You may also do the gluing for them if using the hot glue gun.
What you do
Cut a 4" wide strip from the peach or cream colored felt. You will need enough to wrap once around the cardboard tube. Start at the top of the tube and glue all the way around, this will be the face.
Cut a 4" wide strip from the brown colored felt. You will need enough to wrap once around the cardboard tube. Start at the bottom of the tube and glue all the way around, this will be the pants.
Cut a 6" wide strip from the light blue colored felt. You will need enough to wrap once around the cardboard tube. This will overlap both the brown and cream felt and will be the scarecrow's shirt. Glue in place.
Cut out a 5" x 3" rectangle from the tan felt. Fringe ends to crate the straw hair. Glue around the top of the cardboard tube, leaving an opening at the front for the facial features.
Cut out a strip of brown felt, enough to wrap around the hat to create the band. Glue in place. Glue yellow foam flower to the band and glue brown pom pom to the center of the flower.
Glue the hat to the top of the cardboard tube.
Cut out a 6" x 6" square from a bandana, save the remainder for another project. Fold bandana in half and wrap around the tube, tie in the back, glue in place. Be sure to overlap enough of the cream felt so that the face isn't too long.
Glue three buttons down the front of the shirt below the bandana.
Cut a triangle nose from the orange felt and glue to the center of the cream felt face.
Glue on 2 wiggle eyes and 2 sequins as cheeks.
Bend a smiling mouth from the piece of black chenille, trim to fit and glue in place.
Let dry completely.
From Our Readers
[click image to view larger]
Hi Amanda,
This project came from your Cardboard Tube Scarecrow. The girls saw them and decided they could do them too. They used the paper towel tubes and old scraps of material and yarn, he was dubbed the straw man. The straw man is glued
to the top of a foam bowl cause she had trouble getting it to stand up all the time and the grass is just
construction paper. (loved her little sign giving directions as to which crops grew which way.) I just love to
see what they end up with... firm believer in " it's your project... do your own thing". Remember these were
done by kids so you have to overlook a few goof ups but they are learning!!
About the Author:
Amanda Formaro is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook and make crafts. She is the craft expert for FamilyCorner.com and Kaboose.com. You can see her crafty creations on Crafts by Amanda and her delicious recipes on Amanda's Cookin'. She is also the owner of Fun Family Crafts.
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