Cat in the Hat Scarecrow Featuring Sugru

We entered a scarecrow contest and since we ARE a library, our scarecrow was literary themed. We made the Cat in the Hat! AND we won second prize! He is a pretty traditional scarecrow, but we used Sugru to form his facial features. They turned out great and they lasted through the elements!

Step 1: You're Going to Need Some Supplies...

We used a LOT of Sugru for this project. To make the face and the bow (not to be confused with the Face of Boe) we used approximately:

6 black Sugru packets
3 red Sugru packets
5 white Suguru packets

I say approximately because you may need more or less, depending on the size of pumpkin you use. We also needed:

various Sugru packets to make pins
safety pins
one skewer
box cutter
hollow plastic pumpkin
sharp knife
plastic bags
straw and newspapers
wooden posts
super glue and/or hot glue gun
laminating machine
cat in the hat costume
staple gun
awesomeness

Step 2: Form His Facial Features

Sugru works much like Play-Doh--only it's way stickier and hardy. You can form it much the same way you do with Play-Doh. It will stick to any tools you use, however. Working with our hands alone worked best for us.

It helps to bring out an example of what he actually looks like! We made gray by adding little bit of white Sugru to the black Sugru. We made the pink tongue by adding a little bit of white Sugru to red.

Step 3: Make His Super Adorable Kitty Cat Ears

We cut a skewer in half and formed the ears on the dull ends of the skewer. This way, the sharp ends can poke into the pumpkin. We once again made gray by adding just a little bit of white Sugru to the black Sugru.

Step 4: Cut a Hole in the Pumpkin

You'll need to cut a hole in the pumpkin. If you set up the wooden frame as in a traditional scarecrow, the pumpkin will sit on top of the board. We used a really sharp knife to cut the hole, but you might have a better (and safer) suggestion! We super glued the pumpkin to the frame.

Step 5: Attach the Face and Ears to the Pumpkin

If you put the Sugru on your pumpkin before it sets, you shouldn't need additional adhesives like glue.

Step 6: Craft Themed Pins

We used Sugru to make some Dr. Seuss themed pins. We used Sugru to attach the safety pins as well. We had to give props to Sugru and Instructables, so we also made pins out of stickers by laminating the stickers and then attaching pins using Sugru. Give the pins at least 24 hours to set so that the pins stay attached.

Step 7: Stuff the Scarecrow

We put the Cat in the Hat costume on the frame and then stuffed it. We used both straw and newspapers as stuffing. If you put the stuffing in plastic bags or garbage bags first, this will keep your scarecrow from getting mushy if it rains (or snows!). We stuffed his hat too so that we could position it ever so slightly askew.