How to Make a Stick Horse Cheaply
The stick horse has been a popular children's toy since the 16th century. This charming plaything, also called a hobby horse, stimulates children's imagination, generates fascination with horses and encourages them to run and jump. A stick horse can be elaborately carved from wood, made of plush fabrics or made from common materials. A simple paper horse head glued on a stick, to a child, can become a spirited, beautiful steed. A slightly more stylish, but inexpensive, stick horse can be made using a few pieces of fabric, some glue, buttons, yarn and a broomstick. Most of the materials needed can be found in a closet or sewing basket.
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Things You'll Need
- Poster paper
- Chalk
- Scissors
- Broomstick up to 3 feet long
- 2 pieces of felt
- Thread and needle
- Hot glue
- 2 large white buttons
- 2 small black buttons
- Yarn
- Polyester or cotton quilt batting
- 24-inch piece of ribbon
Instructions
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1
Draw the shape of a horse head on a piece of poster paper and cut it out to create a template. Place two pieces of felt or plain colored cotton fabric together. Place the template on top of the two pieces of felt and trace around the template with a piece of chalk.
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2
Cut the shape of the horse head through both pieces of felt using scissors. Pin the two pieces of felt together if you have difficulty keeping the pieces aligned when cutting. Sew the two pieces of felt together using a needle and color-matched thread.
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3
Leave an opening at the top of the straight edge of the back of the horse head. Turn the horse head. Sew or hot glue a large white button eye on each side of the horse head. Sew or hot glue a small black button on top of each large white button for the pupil of each eye.
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4
Cut 50 to 60 strands of yarn about six inches long. Hot glue or sew the strands to the top of the horse head neck for the mane. Cut two triangles from the left-over felt for ears and hot glue or sew the ears on each side of the horse head.
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5
Fill the horse head with cotton or polyester quilt batting. Stuff the batting through the opening you left in the neck. Fill the horse's head firmly from the muzzle to the neck opening.
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6
Insert one end of the broomstick into the neck opening along the top of the horse head just below the mane. Close the opening and secure the horse head to the broomstick using hot glue. Wrap yarn around the area where the broomstick enters the horse head and secure the ends with hot glue.
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7
Cut a piece of ribbon about 8 inches long. Glue ribbon around the horse's muzzle. Drape the remaining ribbon over the horse's neck and glue each end of the ribbon to the ribbon around the horse's muzzle to make a rein.
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Tips & Warnings
You can substitute an old pair of pants or a flannel shirt in place of the felt.
Use the batting from an old pillow if you do not have new filler.
Cut the broomstick shorter for small children.
Cut two pieces of poster board in the shape of a horse head when making the template and glue them together over a yardstick to create a fast and inexpensive stick horse. Draw a horse face on the paper or paint it with poster paints.
Supervise small children when playing with the stick horse.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
