How to Make a Decorative Scarecrow with a Straw Broom

Step 1. Start With a Broom Stick
Use a straw broom for the head and the main body. Lay a three foot piece of thin wood- one or two inches thick- horizontally across the stick, about eight inches below the bottom of the straw.

Step 2. Connect the Upper Body Pieces
Use a short length of rope or wire to connect the pieces together where they meet.

Step 3. Decide the Sex of Your Scarecrow
Decide what you want your decorative scarecrow to look like. That is, do you want it to be a guy or a girl? Scarecrows are usually dressed in pants and a long-sleeved shirt, so you'll need to round some old clothes up. You'll also need a pair of old gloves.

Step 4. Begin to Dress Mr. or Ms. Scarecrow
Place the arms of the shirt over the wooden arm body pieces. If the shirt is the "button down" type, make sure all of the buttons are fastened to hold the stuffing in.

Step 5. Start Adding the Stuffing
Lay your scarecrow down and fill the body and the arms of the shirt with stuffing. Normally, straw is used for this purpose. Or, you can use old newspaper. You can also use rags cut up into pieces or dried leaves.

If you want your scarecrow to be a female, you can place a little more stuffing in the chest of the shirt.

Step 6. Make and Attach the Hands
To make a decorative scarecrow with a straw broom, you'll now need to put the hands on. Stuff each glove with straw, newspaper, rags or dried leaves, then place one on the end of each arm. Tuck each shirt sleeve into the gloves. Tie the gloves onto the wooden ends with short lengths of rope or wire.

Step 7. Now For the Trunk...
Put the broomstick over one leg of the pants or bib overalls. Fill the pants and the legs with stuffing to form the lower body of the scarecrow. Pull the pants up so you can tuck the shirt bottom into the waist of the pants. Secure the pants and shirt together with the vertical, wooden body piece- the waist of your decorative scarecrow- and tie them with a piece of rope or use an old belt.

For a female scarecrow, fill the butt of the pants with a little more stuffing.

Step 8. Put the Socks or Shoes On
Now that you have the body of your decorative scarecrow made, you can make feet out of an old pair of socks or boots. Fill each sock or boot with straw, newspaper, rags or dried leaves. Then, stick the legs into the boots. Or, place the socks inside the legs of the pants and fasten them on with rope or wire.

Step 9. It's Time to Top It
Your scarecrow already has a head, but it needs a few finishing touches. You can use an old pillow case or a large rag for this step. Place the case or rag over top the broom bristles so it drapes down. Place some more filling inside and pull the fabric together at the neck. Tuck the head into the neck of the shirt and secure them together with rope or wire. Then, use a permanent marker to draw on eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, and ears. If your decorative scarecrow is a girl, you can draw on long, curly eyelashes, full red lips and rosy-red cheeks.

Step 10. Finish It With Decorations
Now it's time to personalize your scarecrow and make it decorative. You can add a wig, hat, earmuffs, neck tie, scarf, hair ribbons, purse, pair of glasses, suspenders, jacket or a vest, just to give you some examples. You might choose to decorate your scarecrow to help celebrate a holiday. Use your imagination and see what you can come up with!