Cardboard Tube Scarecrow

Last updated on April 9th, 2025 at 11:35 am

This fun recycled craft made from a paper towel roll and scrap fabrics and felt is an adorable project for Fall. Gather the kids around, pull out the craft supplies and get cracking on your own scarecrows!

You can also make Paper Roll Penguins for Christmas, a Paper Roll Turkey for Thanksgiving, or a sweet Paper Roll Dachshund for dog lovers. And if you love scarecrows, check out our Recycled Paint Stick Scarecrow for more Fall fun. See Paper Roll crafts for all our toilet paper roll and paper towel roll projects!

You will need

• cardboard tube from paper towel or wrapping paper
• straw doll hat
• felt: tan, peach or cream, light blue, orange, and brown
• bandana
• 3 buttons
• 2 pink sequins
• 2 small wiggle eyes
• 2″ piece of skinny black chenille
• 1″ foam flower
• 1/2″ brown pom pom
• scissors
• white craft glue or hot glue gun
• Editor’s Note: We used hot glue as it adheres so much quicker than white craft glue. However, if you are making this project with small children, you may want to use white glue or even a glue stick. You may also do the gluing for them if using the hot glue gun.

What you do

Cut a 4″ wide strip from the peach or cream colored felt. You will need enough to wrap once around the cardboard tube. Start at the top of the tube and glue all the way around, this will be the face.

Cut a 4″ wide strip from the brown colored felt. You will need enough to wrap once around the cardboard tube. Start at the bottom of the tube and glue all the way around, this will be the pants.

Cut a 6″ wide strip from the light blue colored felt. You will need enough to wrap once around the cardboard tube. This will overlap both the brown and cream felt and will be the scarecrow’s shirt. Glue in place.

Cut out a 5″ x 3″ rectangle from the tan felt. Fringe ends to crate the straw hair. Glue around the top of the cardboard tube, leaving an opening at the front for the facial features.

Cut out a strip of brown felt, enough to wrap around the hat to create the band. Glue in place. Glue yellow foam flower to the band and glue brown pom pom to the center of the flower.

Glue the hat to the top of the cardboard tube.

Cut out a 6″ x 6″ square from a bandana, save the remainder for another project. Fold bandana in half and wrap around the tube, tie in the back, glue in place. Be sure to overlap enough of the cream felt so that the face isn’t too long.

Glue three buttons down the front of the shirt below the bandana.

Cut a triangle nose from the orange felt and glue to the center of the cream felt face.

Glue on 2 wiggle eyes and 2 sequins as cheeks.

Bend a smiling mouth from the piece of black chenille, trim to fit and glue in place.

Let dry completely.

Author Amanda Formaro is the entrepreneurial mother of four children. She is also the Chief Editor of FamilyCorner and the author of another cute paper craft available on AllFreeCrafts: Paper Apple Craft.