DIY Scarecrow Costume
A scarecrow is a plaid shirt, jeans, and a straw hat with raffia poking out of the cuffs. The clothes you already have, and the kit handles the rest.
The kit is the one thing worth buying. It comes with the straw-trimmed hat, so you don't have to build one, plus the raffia that turns farm clothes into a scarecrow. Everything after that is drawn on with makeup.
What you need
A plaid shirt, jeans, and a hat-and-raffia kit.
- Effort: Easy
- Cost: ~$14
- Time: 10 min
What to buy
Amazon Our pick
quescu 7-Piece Scarecrow Set · See current price at Amazon
The budget kit is what turns everyday plaid into a scarecrow with a straw-trimmed pointed hat plus a raffia collar, cuffs, and belt.
A bare straw hat alone looks like a farmer; the raffia poking from the cuffs is the difference.
See it at Amazon →Also checked
The makeup
The stitched face is drawn on, not bought. The kit just supplies the colors.
Amazon Our pick
Snazaroo Face Paint Set, Rainbow, 8 Colors · See current price at Amazon
Black for the stitches and nose, red for the rosy cheeks — the water-based set has both, then washes off a kid's face before school.
Two colors, and the scarecrow's whole face is done.
Mid-range rather than a dollar-store set, and most of the palette sits idle on a scarecrow. Amazon sells and ships this one itself.
See it at Amazon →Also checked
How to put it together
- Start with plaid and jeans. A plaid or flannel shirt and a pair of jeans is the whole base. Earth tones beat bright colors, and a shirt a size too big looks more stuffed-with-straw than fitted. Tuck the shirt loosely or let it hang.
- Add the hat and raffia kit. The kit gives you the straw-trimmed pointed hat, so there's nothing to build, plus a raffia collar, cuffs, and belt. Tuck the cuffs into your sleeves and pant legs so the raffia pokes out at the wrists and ankles. That straw sticking from the cuffs screams scarecrow.
- Draw on the stitched face. A few black lines for stitches across the cheeks and a triangle nose in brown or black are the scarecrow's face. Add two round circles of rosy blush on the cheeks. Eyeliner and cream makeup are all you need.
- Patch it up and finish the feet. Safety-pin a couple of burlap or fabric patches to the elbows and knees for the worn-out look. Worn work boots finish it off at the feet, and a piece of rope or twine for a belt sells the homemade angle.
Make it your own
- For a kid
- Same formula, smaller. A flannel shirt over a long-sleeve tee, jeans, the hat sized down, and the stitched face drawn light. Skip the safety pins and tuck the raffia in tight so it stays put through trick-or-treating.
- Pair it up
- A scarecrow pairs with a crow on the shoulder or a farmer in overalls. For a group, build the Wizard of Oz crew: Dorothy in gingham, the Tin Man in silver, and the Cowardly Lion, with your scarecrow leading the way down the road.
- To level it up
- Swap the drawn-on patches for real burlap squares stitched at the seams, add suspenders over the shirt, and stuff a little loose raffia into the collar and pockets so straw spills out of the seams.
Best if you own flannel and want the raffia that sells the look.
More easy DIY costumes
Prices checked September 3, 2026. Stores set their own prices and may change them. The “See it at” links go to the live listing.