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This colorful fellow crafted from a clay pot will make a cheerful addition to the garden
By Kathy Antoniotti
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Saturday, Oct 04, 2008
If someone asked me what's the best reason to live in Ohio, I'd say it would be autumn. The season comes alive with brilliant colors as the leaves on the trees change from green to fiery reds, oranges and yellows.
Autumn nights bring cooler temperatures that signal to trees that it is time to prepare for winter. As days grow shorter, their leaves give us a spectacular burst of color before they die and fall.
Pumpkins and bright mums are other signs of autumn you might see in your neighborhood. But to my mind, there is nothing more fall-like than scarecrows dotting garden landscapes.
I used a photo of a not-so-scary scarecrow I found at http://www.familycorner.com/homegarden/crafts/clay_pot_scarecrow on the Web and wrote directions to make this friendly fellow.
Supplies you will need:
• 1 31/2-inch clay pot.
• Light blue acrylic paint.
• Black fine-tip marker.
• Denim fabric.
• Natural muslin fabric.
• Plaid fabric.
• Polyester fiberfill.
• Raffia.
• Fast-grab tacky glue.
• Cotton swab.
• Pink blush.
• Scissors.
• Paintbrush.
• Purchased straw hat (optional).
Paint the outside of the pot blue and set aside to dry.
Cut out a 10-inch circle of muslin. Place a fist-sized piece of fiberfill into the center of the circle and gather the edges to form a ball. Tie a piece of raffia under the ball into a bow.
Using the photo as a guide, make facial details with a fine-tip marker. Use a cotton swab to make two pink circles on the scarecrow's cheeks with blush.
Cut two 3-by-6-inch strips of plaid fabric for the arms. Place two lines of glue along the long, plain side of the fabric. Carefully fold the top of the fabric over the glue to create a tube. Hold in place until it sticks together. Make a second tube.
Cut small amounts of raffia and place inside the ends of the tubes. Wrap another thin piece of raffia around the tubes to hold the raffia inside and tie.
Make two 3-by-8-inch tubes out of denim fabric and raffia for the legs using the same technique.
After the pot is dry, cut a 21/2-by-10-inch strip of plaid fabric and glue it around the narrow end of the pot, keeping the seam in the back. Fold 1/2 inch of fabric over the bottom of the pot and glue to hold.
Paint a blue bib on the front of the fabric to make it look like your scarecrow is wearing bib overhauls. When dry, use a black fine-tip marker to draw stitch marks on the jeans. Glue the arms on top of the fabric and glue the head on top of the arms.
Cut raffia into 21/2-inch pieces and glue to the top of the scarecrow's head. Glue a hat on top of the raffia ''hair.''
Glue the legs to the inside of the front of the pot.
Kathy Antoniotti writes a craft column for the Beacon Journal. If you have a craft idea or question, contact Kathy Antoniotti, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron OH 44309-0640; 330-996-3565; or via e-mail at kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.
If someone asked me what's the best reason to live in Ohio, I'd say it would be autumn. The season comes alive with brilliant colors as the leaves on the trees change from green to fiery reds, oranges and yellows.
Get the full article here.

