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Straw Folk
Sackcloth, Made to Order Original Strawfolk Raggedy Sack Scarecrow
£115.00
Always available from the studio.
SIDNEY SACKCLOTH, MADE-TO-ORDER HALLOWEEN SCARECROW KIT 🌾
Sidney Sackcloth has the face of a scarecrow who has been standing in the fields for longer than anybody can remember.
His dark, weathered skin bears faded markings, uneven colours and the unmistakable texture of old hessian.
His heavy eyes peer out from beneath enormous sackcloth eyelids, while his crooked hat and wild straw hair make him look as though he has walked straight out of an old countryside ghost story.
At dusk, Sidney casts a wonderfully sinister figure across the vegetable patch.
In daylight, however, it becomes apparent that he is actually rather dopey.
Sidney frequently forgets why he is standing there.
He has been known to watch a crow eat three seeds before remembering that he is supposed to do something about it, and once spent an entire afternoon suspiciously staring at what turned out to be his own shadow.
He may look frightening, but Sidney is far more confused than cruel.
Description
☕ A FACE WITH STORIES TO TELL
Sidney’s head and hat are made entirely from genuine reclaimed coffee sacks.
Before becoming a Raggedy scarecrow, these sacks travelled long distances carrying coffee from around the world.
Their faded stamps, numbers, marks, uneven colouring and worn fibres are all little pieces of that journey.
The coffee they carried eventually found its way to my dad’s coffee shop, where it was brewed and served.
Once emptied, the sacks came to my workshop rather than being discarded, and began another life as Sidney.
His darker, weathered skin hasn’t been made to look perfectly clean or new.
Every stain, faded marking, rough fibre and frayed edge adds to the impression that he has already lived through countless harvests and has plenty of old stories left to tell.
🌾 IMPORTANT: MADE TO ORDER
The original Sidney shown in the photographs has now been sold.
This listing is for a made-to-order scarecrow created in the same style, with a dark and weathered coffee-sack head, heavy overhanging eyelids, traditional stitched features and a reclaimed coffee-sack hat.
Please allow approximately three weeks for your scarecrow to be individually handmade before dispatch.
Because genuine reclaimed sacks and second-hand clothing are used, your scarecrow will not be an exact duplicate of the one photographed.
Colours, stamps, sack markings, clothing and small facial details will vary, making every Sidney completely unique.
If you require him for a particular event or Halloween date, please contact me before ordering.
🌾 WHAT’S INCLUDED
• Made-to-order coffee-sack scarecrow head
• Dark, weathered and individually hand-finished face
• Heavy fabric eyelids and hand-stitched facial details
• Integrated elastic loops for adding straw or hay hair
• Full set of carefully selected traditional scarecrow clothing
• Pointed hat handmade from a reclaimed coffee sack
• Twine for attaching Sidney securely to his frame
• Illustrated Official Raggedy Scarecrow certificate
• Little emergency repair kit
• Illustrated step-by-step assembly guide
When assembled on the recommended frame, Sidney will stand approximately 6ft tall.
His finished height may vary slightly depending on the wooden frame you create.
🪵 YOU WILL NEED
• Straw or hay
• Two wooden battens, sturdy stakes or suitable garden canes
• Nails or screws to create the cross-shaped frame
• Approximately 20 saved carrier bags or reusable plastic bags to stuff the head
• A hammer or screwdriver suitable for your chosen frame
Please note: the wooden frame, tools and straw or hay are NOT included.
Each head takes approximately 20 carrier bags to fill, so start saving them from the time you order! It’s a useful way to reuse the bags hiding in cupboards and give them another purpose instead of purchasing new stuffing.
♻️
Assembly takes approximately 30 minutes.
✂️ HANDMADE FROM FORGOTTEN THINGS
Every Raggedy scarecrow is made by hand in my little workshop using reclaimed fabrics, recycled materials, vintage finds, charity-shop clothing and forgotten textiles that deserve another adventure.
Sidney is especially rooted in traditional scarecrow making.
His rough hessian face, visible stitches, frayed sackcloth and weathered appearance celebrate the materials that scarecrows have been made from for generations.
And handmade really does mean handmade.
These scarecrows aren’t designed to look perfectly uniform or factory-made—they’re perfectly wonky and proud of it!
You may spot visible stitches, irregular markings, mismatched fabrics, patches, different textures and quirky little imperfections.
That is all part of their charm.
No two versions of Sidney will ever be exactly the same.
Rather than arriving as a mass-produced Halloween decoration, Sidney arrives flat-packed and ready for you to build, stuff and finish bringing to life at home.
🌦️ LIVING OUTDOORS
Sidney is designed for gardens, allotments, vegetable patches, community gardens, autumn events and outdoor Halloween displays.
As with any character made from reclaimed textiles and natural hessian, sunshine and rain will continue to weather and fade his materials over time.
For Sidney, this only adds to his wonderfully aged appearance.
Sheltering him during severe weather and storing him somewhere dry when not in use will help preserve his hand-stitched features and allow him to return for many more harvests and Halloweens.
Emily Archer and The Raggedys is a member of The British Toy Makers Guild.
All the items sold in our shop are certified by The Guild.
Please note that advertised items are considered a collective piece and not a toy appropriate for young children.
All of my designs listed under The Raggedys brand name, or advertised by Emily Archer are supported by ACID through their Copyright & Design Databank.
All copyright, design rights and intellectual property rights existing in my designs and products and in the images, text and design of my website / marketing material are and will remain the property of The Raggedys and Emily Archer.
I will treat any infringement of these rights seriously.