Hobby Horse Pattern & Tutorial

  Fairly quick to make, the materials were easy to find, and it makes a really fun, imaginative toy.
Gather up some brown fabric or felt, some yarn for the mane, and a dowel or broomstick and you're ready to go. 

Materials:

    - brown wool-blend felt, 1/2 yard, or felted wool sweater in brown
    - scraps of wool-blend felt in lighter brown, white, blue and black
    - white embroidery floss, 12 inches
    - fiberfill toy/pillow stuffing
    - wooden dowel 1 inch wide or narrower, broomstick or tree branch, about 36 inches
    - rag or fabric scrap for wrapping the end of the dowel
    - twine, ribbon or string for the bridle
    - brown yarn for mane
    - all-purpose thread in white, black, and blue

Tools:

    - cardboard and a pencil
    - sewing machine
    - hand-sewing needle
    - embroidery needle
    - curved upholstery needle
    - scissors for fabric
    - disappearing fabric marker or tailor’s chalk
    - hot glue gun (optional)

Steps:
Notes on pattern: The pattern for the horse’s head is large so you will need to piece it together. No seam allowance has been added in the pattern so you will need to add a 1/4 inch seam allowance to all of the pattern pieces except the eye and eyelid. Transfer the pattern to stiff cardboard and cut out. Pattern pieces  in 4 parts:

Step 1: Place the head and head gusset pattern pieces on the wool-blend felt or felted wool sweater and trace around them with tailor’s chalk or a disappearing fabric marker. Cut them out, transferring markings.

Step 2: Cut two ears in light brown felt and two in darker brown felt. Place one light against one dark and stitch around, leaving the bottom open. Repeat for the other ear. Trim the seam allowances to 1/8 inch, clipping across the tip of the ear near the stitching line, and turn the ears right side out. Fold each ear on the fold line and pin to hold.

Step 3: Place one ear against one head piece where marked, lining up the raw edges, and baste. Repeat for the other ear.

Step 4: Stitch the head gusset to one head piece from point A to point B trapping the raw edges of the ear in the seam as you go. Repeat for the other head piece.  Stitch the remainder of the horse’s head, leaving the bottom open. Clip the curves, especially at the neck and turn the head right side out.

Step 5: Stuff the head firmly until it is about 3/4 of the way stuffed. Wrap the end of the dowel or stick with a rag. Tie the rag in place with twine.  Insert the dowel into the head pushing it all the way up to the crown. Push stuffing around the dowel so that it is snug inside the head. Finish stuffing the head, leaving about 2 inches at the base of the neck unstuffed, as marked.

Step 6: Tie off the base of the neck with twine. Use a double knot to secure. If you’d like, put a bead of hot glue underneath the felt, where it meets to the dowel, all the way around to secure.

Step 7: With no seam allowance, cut out two circles of felt in black for the pupil, two in blue for the eyeball, and two in white for the white of the eye. With floss, take three small straight stitches in the pupil to form a highlight. Layer the eye and stitch each layer in place with coordinating thread.

Step 8: Place eyelid pattern piece on a folded piece of brown wool-felt. With no seam allowance, cut out. Repeat so that you have two eyelids. Nestle eyes between eyelid layers. Stitch the eyes to the head.

 Step 9: For the nostril, use brown yard to tie a French knot on either side of the muzzle.

Step 10: For mane, thread curved upholstery needle with a single 36 inch strand of brown yarn. Take a small stitch at the top of the head, pulling yarn through so that it leaves a 3 inch tail. Cut yarn 3 inches from the head. Tie yarn ends in a double knot to hold. Repeat to create a mane of desired thickness. Trim mane to desired length.