25 Handmade Scarecrow Ideas

Scarecrows are outdoor staples for gardeners, farmers and fall decor enthusiasts alike. Emblematic of autumn, scarecrows come in all shapes and sizes to serve practical and stylistic needs. Whether you’re searching for how to DIY a foreboding and faceless figure to keep pests at bay or want to make a friendly and festive face to greet trick-or-treaters and passersby each day — we’ve got you covered. We’re sharing our top 20+ scarecrow design ideas to DIY or buy for your home this fall.

First up? This creeping (but cute!) scarecrow harvest figure from the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The whimsical greeter is built from wooden garden stakes, dried grasses and winding grapevines. A cheery red bowtie and round spectacles lend the otherwise ominous figure an endearing look.

One scarecrow not enough? Make a cute couple like this pair. The dashing gentleman donning a top hat and bowtie seems to be holding his arms out to protect his lady friend from those scary, mean crows.

Here’s your greenlight to skip the traditional stitched smiles and spooky faces in favor of a larger-than-life feathered friend like this brightly-dressed design that puts the “crow” in scarecrow. The beaked bloom guard stands tall in a festive pumpkin top and yellow overalls, keeping her all-seeing eyes on the sunflowers below.

Trade plaid flannels and straw hats for French stripes and a beret cap to bring artistic flair to your front yard vignette this Halloween. This mustachioed pumpkin scarecrow is très magnifique, donning a boat-neck top, ruby bandana and paint-splattered apron. The gentleman sports a pair of googly eyes, oversized eyebrows and painting tools in each hand to round out the masterpiece. Display your artist scarecrow solo or recreate this photo op for neighborhood trick-or-treaters with a faceless Mona Lisa portrait prop.

Turns out, scarecrows don’t need to be spooky to send birds flying in the opposite direction of your crops. Case in point: this dress-donning beauty. The cross-style scarecrow features a smiling, terra-cotta face, a lace sun hat and a hay body covered in a festive, corseted dress.

Embrace maximalism and dress your scarecrow to the nines by adopting the “everything but the kitchen sink” approach. This fashionable figure wears ruby rain boots, patched trousers, a leather jacket, several metal accents, stuffed animals a clock, and a spoon-adorned sunhat. Its head is crafted from a white garden pot appointed with blue googly eyes and topped with an overflowing mane of hay.

Put your old pillowcase and gardening clothes to work to recreate our DIY scarecrow to guard your crops or gussy up your outdoor fall decor. All you need to get started are two 6’ garden stakes, straw or dried grass, twine and a few farm-friendly clothing items from the back of your closet. Find our easy, step-by-step tutorial and full materials list in the link below.

Faceless farmers or scarecrows? Either way, these lifelike onlookers are poised to keep birds at bay on this English farm. The looming figures are made from wood stakes and expressionless paper mache faces and dressed in farm-ready clothing: jeans, jackets, tattered sweaters and hats.

Skip the traditional straw and hay and fend for your crops against feathered flocks by recreating this recycled aluminum can scarecrow. The cross base is draped in a custom hooded jacket crafted by a patchwork of flattened beer cans.

Let your creative juices flow when creating an entire garden scene using garden tools and whimsical scarecrows. This lovely couple seems to be enjoying their morning coffee while scaring away the birds and critters.

Faceless and foreboding, this colorful scarecrow is easy to recreate for your garden. A wooden cross serves as its base and is dressed to deter in a vibrant button-down top, denim coveralls and a pointed denim cap.

Looking for something to do with all those old Mardi Gras beads you've been saving up? Let your scarecrows wear them. They're weatherproof and the shiny finish will help ward off birds and varmints. This traditional scarecrow was carefully stuffed with plastic bags of foam, had its clothes sewn together and its face made of craft paint and a sewn-on, crooked nose. It can last for many years if stored properly over the winter.

Make this handmade scarecrow your muse and create a friendly face for your garden or outdoor fall porch display. Use paint pens to draw a stitched smile, triangle nose and lashed eyes on a burlap or canvas sack. Don’t forget to add a pair of droopy ears for an extra-endearing touch.

Want to get crafty with your kiddos? Create a scarecrow from scratch with just a few household items you already have on hand. Recreate this charming design by creating a base from a stick with a clothes hanger attached for square shoulders. Drape the figure in an old, forgotten flannel or work shirt and top with a head made from a painted milk jug.

No hay? No problem. Use this charming crop figure as your blueprint and create a garden guard using a stick cross base and multicolor planter pots. Use outdoor-friendly paint to create a whimsical face on the top planter. Finish your design by lining the arms with a collection of mini planters for a ruffled sleeve effect.

Scarecrows can do their job seated or standing. If you don't have the time or materials to make an upright scarecrow, just plop him down on an old piece of farm equipment. This sitting watchman is formed from hay and wears classic farm clothes: denim overalls, a flannel shirt and a straw hat.

Give your yard guardian a wicked touch for Halloween. Dress them in an inky black dress (thrifted or borrowed from your closet), a pointed witch hat and several coats of formidable green face paint. Prop the wretched watch-woman on your porch or recreate this Hollywood-inspired bicycle vignette for extra panache.

Make this friendly figure your fall porch inspiration. Cross two 3’ garden stakes on a hay bale to create a base, then dress the stakes in famer-inspired flannels and jeans. Fill the sleeves and pant legs with dried grass, stuffing or hay and allow the legs to hang off your bale to create a casual, seated position. Top your figure with a store-bought jack-o’-lantern candy bucket to give your scarecrow a festive face, then finish them with a foliage-clad burlap hat for good measure.

Leave hay for your livestock and create a streamlined porch scarecrow you can use year after year with the help of our charming wood-plank porch decor tutorial. Best part? This adorable DIY is a two-in-one design: The stitched-up scarecrow seen here reverses to reveal a sweet snowman on the other side for December decorating. Find the step-by-step instruction guide and materials list to craft this cutie over the weekend in the link below.

Leave your neighbors speechless with a life-size scarecrow that greets them as they pass by. The towering 6’ figure provides a whimsical element to your entryway with his turning pumpkin head, glowing crow companion and spoken seasonal phrases that encourage friends to smile, stay warm and guard their gourds this Halloween.

Add this sweet, porch-sitting scarecrow to your autumn display this year. The top-rated design is delivered to your doorstep as an empty shell, ready to be filled with hay, cotton batting, tattered T-shirts, old newspapers or recycled plastic bottles. Nestle the classic cutie on your porch bench or rocking chair with an outdoor blanket for a cozy look. Another idea? Prop him on your stoop stairs surrounded by pumpkins for an extra-festive fall look.

Take cues from this inviting autumn front porch and flank your door with friendly faces to greet neighbors and trick-or-treaters alike. A pair of larger-than-life scarecrows serve as the welcoming committee for this stately stoop. Another crop figure stands atop a hay bale with a happy harvest greeting sign, while a pair of pint-sized scarecrows frame the stairs beside the mums below.

Need a hand welcoming the season? Here’s two! This adorable wooden scarecrow sign is ultra-versatile, featuring a stand for your porch and stakes for your yard. Better still, you can fold the vibrant 48” scarecrow flat and hang it on your porch or entryway wall for a space-savvy fall focal point.

Add classic farmhouse charm to your fall porch display with the help of this handcrafted scarecrow. The plump crop figure sports a cozy plaid top, belted blue jeans, a pair of brown boots and an olive sun hat embroidered with the phrase Harvest Blessings. He’s finished with traditional triangle facial features, a stitched smile, straw hair and a stuffed pumpkin under one arm.