Sew a Straight Line: Hobby Horse

I found this no-sew hobby horse at Family Fun and used it as inspiration to make a little-bit-of-sewing hobby horse.

Hobby Horse Tutorial

What I used because I happened to have it all on hand:

-half yard of brown suede-like fabric

-various pieces of fringe in cream, brown & black

-White, black, and pink no-pill fleece

-1" wooden dowel

-apx 12 oz of Poly Fill

-single fold bias tape

-black embroidery floss

1. Cut out a piece of brown fabric apx. 24" by 16"

2. Arrange strips of fringe down center width of fabric and apx. 8" from "nose end" of fabric

*note* my fabric had fringe on one selvege edge, bought that way. I used that end as the bottom of the head. Assuming you don't have fringe on one end, now would be a good time to hem that "butt" end.

3. Sew fringe in place

4. Cut out pieces for eyes and nostrils. I used anti-pill fleece, but felt would be a great option, too. I layered some black fringe on the back of the eye-whites for lashes and sewed in place.

then I handstiched the iris of the eye to the white using embroidery floss

5. Applique features to head.

*note* I made the mistake of sewing the head first. It did help with the placement of the features, but then I had to pick out the seam in order to actually sew them in place. For placement, the eyes were a little below and to either side of the end of the mane. The nostrils ended up being, I'd say, 1" from the end of the fabric line about 3.5" apart.

6. Turn fabric in half along the length, right sides together, stitch long end and one short end close. Turn.

7. At this point I also pulled my fringe all up along the mane and sewed so that it would stand up, rather than lay flat.

8. For the ears, cut four "back pocket" shaped/sized pieces (again, this was based off a patern to repurpose old blue jeans). For each ear, place two with right sides together and sew along all but what would be the top of a pocket. Turn.

At open, straight edge, gather to form ear. Stitch to hold shape.

9. Here's the scary part. About 2" to either side of the mane, and 3" back...like about here...

You need to cut small holes. I'd say no more than .5".

10. Slide the base of the ears through the holes.

Grab on other side (inside) and pull head wrong side out. Stitch ears in place, catching raw edges of hole.

Turn head right side out.

11. Start stuffing the head. Stuff to where you want the back of the head to slope down, or end. Place dowel in head at that point, and continue to stuff around until well stuffed.

12. Take biase tape (mine was single fold,and I folded it again to make it smaller. Again, it's what I had on hand and made do), gather loose end of head and tie a tight knot around to hold in place.