Two of my favorite things are jeans and old school toys. I grew up in a very different era where we didn't have the internet or very many toys. Most of my toys were even handmade by my mom. I never felt poor growing up and I still remember some of my favorite toys were the ones my mom made for me. Now that I have a daughter, I too want her to create handmade toys and for her to create her own special memories.
The DIY hobby horse idea came to me after I saw how excited she was when she saw one in store. I could have just bought it from the store but of course, I had to try to DIY it. (Isn't that more fun anyways?!) One of the major roadblocks with this project was finding the perfect fabric that can with stand a lot of wear and tear. I mean, I want her to play with it after all! A pair of old jeans was the perfect solution.
MATERIALS:
A pair of jeans, size 4T (old or new)
A bandanna
Rope (natural color or white)
Eyes or buttons
Brown felt
Polyester filling
Wooden stick/rod
TOOLS:
Scissors
Hot glue gun and glue
1 Elastic
Duct tape
DIRECTIONS:
1) Cut the jeans down the middle. It doesn't have to be perfect as it will be covered by the bandanna. Just cut away.
2) Flip the jeans inside out and secure one end tightly with an elastic.
3) Flip the jeans back and stuff it with filling. Stuff it until it is firm at the end.
4) Tie the rope around the "head" of the horse and the "neck" until it is around a 60 degree angle (doesn't have to be exact, just eye it!)
5) Cut the brown felt into strips and then cut both sides with slits. You can just do one strip or three like me for a fuller look!
6. Hot glue the brown felt to the "crown" of the horse and hot glue the eyes too!
7) Tape off the bottom of the jeans or tie a bandanna on top. Or do both!
That's it!! Your project is done and your child can gallop around the house with this horse!
Love this DIY and want to see other projects I created with old jeans? Visit my blog at Wishahmon for projects and stories for an easier, prettier, and efficient #momlife! Follow me @wishahmon for a glimpse of my real momlife too! Things tend to get a little messy!
Cheers!
Monica
