Make a scarecrow snake to deter pests in the garden. This simple DIY sewing project takes little time, and could be considered a decorative as well as functional addition to the garden. Placing a few of these around the fruit or vegetable patch, and moving them occasionally, might help keep the critters from feasting on the fruits of your hard labor.

Just an afterthought: it could make a good halloween prop.

Step 1: Watch the Video

Step 2: Materials Needed

Needed are outdoor cloth for upper body and lower body, outdoor thread, black buttons, and washed gravel (wash it in a tub of water if it's not already clean). The upper body material should have a vivid snake-like pattern.

Step 3: Cut the Body Pieces

Cut from the material two strips each 3" wide and 36" long. If possible, cut the upper cloth such that the pattern is symmetrical about the long axis of the cloth.

Step 4: Draw the Head

On the "wrong" side of the upper body cloth (the side on which the pattern is NOT printed), trace the head shape onto one end. A PDF of the template shown can be downloaded by clicking here. The template was scanned at 200 DPI. Printing on our printer from our computer, a full sized print (without scaling) results in a correctly sized template. If you don't have a printer, or it doesn't print correctly, it's easy enough to copy by hand from the video or the above image.

Step 5: Draw the Middle Body

Extend the "neck" lines from the head end to about 15" before the tail end. Said lines should be ½" in from each edge of the material.

Step 6: Draw the Tail

Continue lines from there to a point centered at the tail end, ¼" before the edge of the cloth (the video shows this more clearly than it can be described).

Step 7: Sew the Body Pieces Together

Pin the upper body to the lower body, RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER (in other words, inside out). Then sew the two parts together.

Step 8: Trim the Seams

Carefully cut the seams down to a ¼" allowance all around the body. Don't trim into the stitching and don't trim the mouth end.

Step 9: Turn the Body Right-Side Out

This can be a fiddly operation. A fat-pointed knitting needle might help, but don't push too hard or it'll go through the tail.

Step 10: Attach the Eyes

Sew a pair of black buttons onto the top of the head, about 2" back from the mouth and 3/8" in from each side. This is best done with thread and needle.

Step 11: Fill the Body

Using a sheet of paper as a makeshift funnel, fill the body with the washed gravel through the mouth end. Don't overfill or stuff it. The body should be flexible when closed.