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How to make a fleece or yarn(wool) MANE & TAIL for Horsey

Nov 3, 2010 | Blog, Toy-making TIPS & TUTORIALS

If you can’t find fur for Horsey Horse/Unix Unicorn – don’t worry!!!! In this post, I’ll be showing you how to make a MANE and TAIL from fleece AND yarn(wool).

 

HorseyMane-and-Tail-collage-Collage.web

 

Let’s make a MANE & TAIL from FLEECE!

STEP 1

You need to download the EXTRA pattern pieces for the FLEECE MANE & FLEECE TAIL ~>


CLICK to DOWNLOAD
the MANE & TAIL PIECE!

 

sewing pattern horse fleece

STEP 2

Cut 2 MANE PIECES and 1 TAIL PIECE from your fleecy fabric. Cut the tassels in the MANE PIECE, as shown on the pattern pieces, leaving a band along the one side.

 

STEP 3

Pin the MANE PIECES right sides together and cut a piece, about 4cm ( 1½ inches), for Horsey’s fringe/forelock.

 

STEP 4

Pin the 4 cm piece of the MANE PIECES to the HEAD PIECE and pin the rest of the MANE PIECES to the BODY PIECE. Sew them in this position. (Continue on with the pattern instructions for Horsey/Unix Unicorn).

 

STEP 5a

Cut the tassels for the TAIL PIECE in the same way.

STEP 5b

Fold the TAIL PIECE in half and in half again and pin it like this at the top.

STEP 6

Pin the fleecy TAIL in position and sew it in place between the BODY PIECES. (Continue on with the pattern instructions for Horsey/Unix Unicorn).

STEP 7

If the tassels are ‘getting in your Horsey’s eyes – you can trim the front tassels of the MANE with some scissors if you think he needs a hair cut!

sewing pattern horse fleece

 

How to make a MANE & TAIL from YARN(WOOL):

There are so many fancy types and textures in yarns these days – you get variegated, misted, fuzzy, wavy, bobbly, shimmery, shiny/sparkly types. I decided to keep it plain for the demonstration, so I used a plain blue and a plain yellow and simply mixed the 2 yarns together!

yarn-wool for horse mane

STEP 1

If you haven’t already done it – get the EXTRA pattern pieces NOW!

You need to download the EXTRA pattern pieces for the YARN(WOOL) MANE & YARN(WOOL) TAIL~>

 


CLICK to DOWNLOAD
the MANE & TAIL PIECE!

 

horse-with-wool-mane

STEP 2

Glue the MANE PIECE to some firm card and cut out your template. Sew across the one side of the template, about 5mm/¼ inch from the edge – THREE TIMES! This will hold the yarn(wool) firmly and make the cardboard easy to tear apart. Cut the yarn(wool) on the opposite side to where you have sewn. 

TIP: I used 210gsm card but you will need to make sure that your sewing machine can sew through the card that you use – so please check the manufacturer’s guidelines for your particular sewing machine or sew the yarn(wool) by hand if you are concerned your machine won’t handle the card.

STEP 3

Cut the yarn(wool) at the other side and remove the cardboard template by tearing the cardboard along the stitching line.

STEP 4

Cut a piece about 4cm ( 1½ inches) for Horsey’s fringe/forelock. Pin the 2 pieces to the HEAD and BODY PIECES. Sew them in place. (Continue on with the pattern instructions for Horsey/Unix Unicorn).

STEP 5a

Wrap the yarn(wool) around the TAIL TEMPLATE. (You can adjust how thick you want your tail to be by how many strands you wrap.) Thread a piece of yarn(wool) through the loops you have wrapped around the card, and tie them together at the top.

STEP 5b

Tie another piece of yarn(wool) around all the tail strands about 5mm/¼ inch from the end.

STEP 6

Pin the TAIL in position and sew it in place between the BODY PIECES. (Continue on with the pattern instructions for Horsey/Unix Unicorn).

TIP: Once again, trim of the MANE a bit at the front if it is getting in Horsey’s eyes.

 I think this ‘wild and woolly’ mane
makes Horsey look like a ROCK STAR!

 

I’ve had a lot of fun putting this post together for you and showing you some simple ways to have a bit of fun with this pattern.

Have fun making YOUR cute variations of Horsey!

Pauline McArthur - Funky Friends Factory.
.

Till next time – happy sewing!

Happy Sewing,
Pauline

 

 

1 Comment

  1. Mary Roan

    GREAT IDEAS! Thank you. I’m actually doing a horse for a teenager so I need it to be a “bit older looking”, the sewing the yarn is a priceless idea! Thank you!

    Reply

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