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How to make a Stick/Hobby horse

 Stick/Hobby horse 

Making this horse might seem like a hard project for some, but I am here to tell you, you can not do it wrong.  It might look a bit different than mine, but I have two of them here to show you, that even mine don’t look the same every time.  Just go with it and have fun.  Your children will be sure to enjoy ithobby horse and blog stuff 001

This child was really having fun as we galloped through the house.hobby horse and blog stuff 062

Items you will need

  • Wooden dowel: 26″ to 36″ long / 1″ to 1 1/4″ diameter (you could use an old broom handle if you have one.)
  • 4″x10″ or 5″x11″ 1″ thick board.
  • Large Sock
  • Scrap Quilt batting, or old blanket would work
  • 1″wide 6’long ribbon, or anything else you have on hand for the reigns and harness.
  • Yarn for hair
  • 2 eyes
  • Heavy sewing thread/ needle/ scissors
  • 2 wood screws
  • power drill with drill bit and screw driver bit.
  • any other hardware you would like to use for your horse harness.

Just so everyone is clear…. If you don’t have what is listed above, you are free to use what you do have on hand.  Think outside the box.  Look around and see what you do have and go for it.  Let your children help as much as possible.  They love to create.  Mine tried riding this horse at every step of the project.  Just to see if it worked of course. 🙂

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When I made the first horse that is pictured at the beginning of this post, I did not round off the nose points.  So you can, or not.  The finished one that is pictured already, was made with the smaller wood measurements in the list.  This one I am demonstrating  for you,
is made with the larger measurements.  Why you say?  Because that is what I could find laying around… I say.

hobby horse and blog stuff 022First you are going to want to place your board of choice on top of your dowel at the angle you would want the horses head to be looking. Pre-drill a hole through both the board and dowel.  Have your screws and bits handy.  You can just use a screw driver, but I love my quick release bits for my power drill.  It makes it so easy.  Without removing the board after you drill it, place the screw into the hole drilled and screw the two pieces together.hobby horse and blog stuff 023

Your skeleton is complete.  Now she needs some meat on her bones.hobby horse and blog stuff 027

Take your meat of choice.  I used scrap quilt batting.  If you have an old blanket in the closet.. I would use that instead of going out to buy batting. Wrap you bones until they are the shape and softness that you want.  The only caution to take is not making it so big that the sock will not fit. I just used pins to hold it in place then a large whip stitch to sew it on for security. Removing the pins of course so we don’t stab our children.

Note if you do have small children, let them see what you are doing. If they want to touch the pins and needle.  Tell them to be careful it can hurt.  They are still going to want to touch.  So I hold the sharp end out toward them and let them get stuck, just a prick. Ouch they will say… and then they will realize to be careful with the pincushion and needles.

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Next, we are putting on the skin.  I got my socks that I used from the bottom of my husbands sock drawer.  When he first came out and saw what I was doing he says,” hey, isn’t that my sock?”  I says, “yes, but I’m only using one, you still have one.”  He of course didn’t find that very funny…. So now I am using the other one… He didn’t act like he was going to, so why not. ;0  p.s.  I did have to fight with this horse to get this sock over the skeleton and meat.  But it worked.hobby horse and blog stuff 039Then I sewed it around the stick at the bottom of the neck to hold it all in place.  I tried to make sure I caught some of the batting into the thread so it would all stay in place together.hobby horse and blog stuff 041Instead of adding anything for the nostrils I just pinched the end of the sock to form a nose whole on both sides and just sewed it in place.hobby horse and blog stuff 043Then I placed the ribbon around her nose, making sure any hardware I want to add is being put on so it can all be sewn together. Pin it first then I did a decorative running stitch.  Where it was attaching the hardware, I did a smaller back stitch so that it would hold better.  I have tried to take up close pictures of the stitching so that if you are not familiar with my wording, you should be able to see from the picture what I am saying.hobby horse and blog stuff 028Now we are going to make the hair.  You can decide how long you want your main.  We are going to put a part in the middle so the length is going to only be as long as one side of your book or cardboard of choice for wrapping.  I like to use a card or book because it is easier to cut the hair off at the end of the process.  Wrap until it is as thick as you are going to want the mane. I did about two layers thick.  Don’t pull it tight, just firm.2013-06-25 hobby horse and blog stuff1a. shows where to start sewing.  We are going to do a back stitch.  that means you put in your first stitch, then go back half way and come up that much ahead of the first stitch. continuing on across the whole top edge of the book(not through the book) like shown in b. Then in c. we are turning the book around and sewing the same stitch back the other direction to make sure we have caught all the yarn threads.  Once we are secure…hobby horse and blog stuff 035We cut along the unsewn edge and we have hair.  I made two sets of this to have a full mane.  You can make as much, or little hair as you like.hobby horse and blog stuff 050With the part in the middle, place the mane on your horse where you want it.  Pin it in place, then back stitch it onto the head through the sock and into the batting along the same part seam we sewed the hair together with.  This will help to secure all the yarn in case we missed some earlier.hobby horse and blog stuff 053Once the mane is in place I sew on the reigns.  If you look closely at the other horse I made, you will see that I did not have these buckle pieces.  I just left the reigns attached to the harness and brought it around and tied it.  Look closely and you will see that you really can do it how ever you like.  These are just two ideas.  Be free and creative with what you have.  These buckle pieces are from a dress that I took them off of a while back.  I just had them laying around.  Look around and see what you can use.
hobby horse and blog stuff 055I love my button jar.  So do the children.  We picked out two good sized buttons.  They don’t even have to match perfectly.  Then I used a sharpie to draw in the pupil after I sewed it onto the horse.  If you sew it good, with a heavy thread you should be safe from hazards.  You could make them out of felt and hot glue them if you are concerned.  But don’t they peal those off and chew on them too?hobby horse and blog stuff 056

Now we have a large red haired Stick/Hobby horse. You can trim the hair over the eyes at this point if you like. This horse is big enough I can ride it. So I do.  We are going to have barrel races in the back yard later.
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I would love to see what you make.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask. Granny

The opinions expressed above are my own. Any claims should be verified on the sponsor’s site.

Danielle Royalegacy

Friday 9th of August 2013

I think this project is perfect for a grandpa to do for his grandson. Sharing this with Grandpa. Thanks!

Richard Hicks

Friday 9th of August 2013

What a great job! Looks like you bought it from a store!

June S.

Thursday 8th of August 2013

Wow! This is really a cute idea. Will have to make one of these for my grandson.

sandy weinstein

Wednesday 7th of August 2013

so cute, i used to have these when i was little, then i went to the real thing for 30 yrs....love horses....

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