OLDE ANNIE PRIMITIVES SCARECROW HEAD TUCKS Pattern #148 6 H x 5 W Pattern is the sole property of Olde Annie Primitives and may not be reproduced for sell! I have gone through great effort to assure pattern accuracy. I cannot be responsible for human error, conditions and materials under which you create, or your personal workmanship. Finished product may be used for fun and profit at craft shows, auctions or websites. When selling finished goods on line, please give credit to Olde Annie Primitives. If you have any questions, please contact me at my email: purpleann808@hotmail.com. Olde Annie Primitives Copyright 2011
Materials/Supplies List: Unbleached muslin Red check homespun fabric or similar Fall colored plaid homespun fabric Tube type turning tools set (can get at craft or fabric stores) Polyester fiberfill (dense fill) Needle and beige thread Straight pins Sponge brush 1 inch flat artist brush Fragrant Prim Mix (recipe included) Delta Ceramcoat Autumn Brown acrylic paint (or similar color - for hat) Delta Ceramcoat Flesh Tan acrylic paint (for head) Black acrylic paint (for dotting eyes) Ultra Fine tip black permanent marker Very fine sanding paper Fall colored pip berries Preserved green sweet annie Floral tape Natural raffia Crafter s glue or fabric glue Hot glue gun Thank you for purchasing an Olde Annie pattern. I hope you will have as much fun making these tucks as I have! Please make sure to read through the instructions before beginning your project. ~~Instructions~~ Mix up your Fragrant Prim Mix according to directions. Set aside. Trace patterns onto stiff paper and cut out. Old cereal and cracker boxes are great for this. Trace scarecrows and hat brims onto a double layer of
unbleached muslin, leaving 1/2 inch between each for cutting out. If need, pin together. Sew along pencil line. Trim to 1/4 inch from sewing line. Clip corners and curves, being careful not to clip stitches. Have scarecrows facing up so that right side of hat is higher than left. Cut through top layer of scarecrows, according to pattern. (Make sure your cut is on the HEAD part of the scarecrow.) Fold your hat brim in half so that the two short ends meet up. Cut through both layers about one inch long. (See pattern page.) Using your turning tools, turn each piece right side out. Once you get them all turned out, use your wood turning tool to push all the edges out. Stuff the scarecrow HATS firmly, using a dense fiberfill. I prefer the dense over the poofy/silky type for this project. My favorite dense brand is Mountain Mist. Before you continue on stuffing the head, slide the hat brim up over the unstuffed face. You may need to adjust the opening of the brim a bit by clipping the opening a little larger. You don't want it too loose, but you don't want the brim to squeeze the hat too tight, either. To make the hole bigger, snip a tiny bit at each end of the cut until it fits properly. Continue stuffing the head part until all is stuffed nice and firm. Once stuffed, sew openings closed using a simple whip stitch. Trace and cut out your homespun noses. (Two styles included to pick from.) For hat bands, rip strips of fall colored homespun fabric 3/4 inch wide by 9 inches long for each scarecrow. Staining: Using a sponge brush, stain fronts, backs and seams well of your scarecrows and hat brims. Stain fronts and backs of the homespun pieces as well. Set all on a foil lined cookie sheet, right sides up, and bake in a 225 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until completely dry. If using the dense fiberfill, you will get quite a bit of markings on the face and hat. If you use a poofy/silkier type fiberfill, you will not get these markings. I like the prim and rustic character the markings give the scarecrows. That's why I prefer the denser fiberfill for this project.
Painting: Before painting, position the brim on each scarecrow to your liking. Make sure upper part of brim lies flat against the hat. Using a sharp pencil, lightly trace onto the hat along the top part of the brim, front and back. This will be your painting guide. Now, take your brim and pull it up as far as it will go. Pin front and back of brim up against the hat to get them out of the way of the face/head. Using a 1 to 3 ratio...one part paint to three parts stain, mix up your white or cream colored paint. Start with about a teaspoon paint to three teaspoons stain. Mix well. (For large projects, I like using the plastic containers from cake frosting. If any left, cover with lid and put in refrigerator for later use.) Using your one-inch flat brush, begin by carefully painting the head part along the penciled lines on both the front and back. Then paint the remaining part of the head, front and back, making sure to get the sides/seams well. Repeat with the other tucks. Once painted, place on foil lined cookie sheet, bottom sides down. Bake at 225 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until dry. Next, tear a six-inch strip of aluminum foil for each tuck you have. Take a strip and tightly cover the painted part of the head of each scarecrow. Ball up the excess aluminum foil so it goes to the back of the scarecrow. Push the foil down at the top just to where you can see the painted part of the head. Repeat for each of your scarecrow heads. Next, mix up your brown paint this time using a 1-2 ratio, one part paint to two parts stain. Start painting where the painted part of the head meets the hat...front and back sides. Next, unpin the brim and while it is still up, paint the bottom part of brim. Holding the scarecrow by the edge of the brim, make sure to paint the seams of the brim well. Finish by painting the top half of the brim. Now, carefully slide the brim down to the foil. Finish painting the front and back of the hat, making sure to get the sides/seams well. Set the scarecrow on the foil lined cookie sheet and position the hat to your liking. It will dry and harden in the oven and keep this shape. Repeat this with your other scarecrows until all are finished and ready to bake. Bake in a 225 degree oven for 15-18 minutes, or until completely dry. Remove tucks from oven and after they
have cooled, removed the aluminum foil from the heads. FINISHING TOUCHES: Rub a thin layer of crafter's glue on the back of the homespun nose. Position on the face and press flat. Let dry. You can either free hand the remaining face or take your sharp pencil and lightly trace your facial lines on first to use as a guide. Using an ultra fine tip black permanent marker, draw the mouth, eyebrows and lines below the eyes. Draw the stitch lines on the nose, as well. Next, take the wood tip to a small paint brush and dot your eyes using undiluted black paint. If you are not comfortable using paint or the marker, you can hand stitch your facial features using a single strand of black crochet thread. If using paint, make sure everything is completely dry before going on to the next step. On to the hat! Take your strip of ripped homespun and fold in half lengthwise to find your center. Take the center and start on the left side of the hat. Using your hot glue, carefully glue the band to the brim so it hides any cut part of the brim or unpainted part of the scarecrow. Crunch fabric down a bit and put a dab of glue at the top of the homespun band so it rests against the hat part. Continue along the back until you get to the other side, making sure it covers the seam where the brim meets the hat. Repeat for the front. Next, tie the two loose ends of the homespun loosely into a half knot. Next, take a couple of short sprigs of sweet annie and three short springs of pip berries. Bunch together and wrap bottom with green floral tape. Put a dab of hot glue on the front and back of the wrapped floral tape and slip underneath the loosely tied half knot. Quickly tighten and proceed tying into a full knot. Position knot so it covers where the brim meets the hat. Hot glue in place. Cut a few pieces of raffia about 3-4 inches long. Glue ends up under the hat on each side. Clip ends to desired length. Your scarecrow tucks are now finished!
Optional tips: To use as a hanging ornie, pin a rusty pin on the back side so the bottom part of the pin is up. The little round eye of the safety pin makes a great little catch for a hanger. Sprinkle cinnamon on the scarecrow's hat and brim and rub in. Spray your favorite linen spray on the back sides of your tucks. Fragrant Prim Mix 1 cup very hot water 2 Tablespoons instant coffee (use cheapest brand you can find) 1 Tablespoon cinnamon 1/8 Teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional) 1/8 Teaspoon ground cloves (optional) 1 Tablespoon vanilla (optional) Add spices to hot water. Stir until dissolved well. Add coffee and vanilla and stir well. Once cooled, Fragrant Prim Mix can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator. A gooey film will eventually develop, which is great for adding to that prim effect. Rusting Technique (for safety pins, bells, etc.) 1 pint hydrogen peroxide 1/4 cup white vinegar 2 tablespoons table salt Mix together in a large plastic bowl and add items you want to rust. The solution should start turning brown and foaming within an hour or so. Leave in for a couple of hours or even overnight. Remove items and lay them on a few layers of newspaper or paper towels to dry and continue rusting. Recipe can be cut in half or doubled. Do not pour used solution down drain.