Easy Sock & Felt Stick Pony - A Tutorial

Before I left on my latest trip to the midwest to help with my newest granddaughter, I made this stick pony.  I wasn't sure if my grandson would like it, but if you take a look at these photos, you'll clearly see it was a fun toy for this energetic two-year-old!

If you'd like to make one too, here's a list of supplies and instructions:

Supplies Needed:  

• Plastic eyelashes (Darice) - cut 2 pieces 1.25"
• Two animal eyes - brown 12 mm
• Three colors of felt - I used tan, dark brown & white
• Batting - poly fill
• Cording - 44" - cut 6", 4" and 26" for the bridle, the remainder is to wrap around the dowel
• 2 bells
• Scissors
• Thread
• One sock
• 5/8" wooden dowel - our first dowel was 3/8" wide and within one day, this strong boy had broken it.  5/8" was much stronger & after playing with it for a week, it's still intact.
• Hot glue
• 2 - 1 inch metal rings

Instructions:

• Mane: cut two pieces of tan felt 9" x 4.5" 
• Sew the two pieces together down the middle to form the felt mane.
• Cut 1/2" hair slants (see photos).
• Bangs:  cut two pieces of tan felt 4.5" x 2" 
• Sew down the middle of the felt mane.
• Cut 1/2" bang slats.
• Find the center of the heal of the sock - pin the bangs onto that spot.
• Pin the mane behind the bangs in the center of the sock's leg.
• With a zigzag stitch, sew the main & bangs onto your sock.
• Download the pattern for the horses eyes and ears HERE.
• Sew the inner ear to the outer ear with a straight stitch.
• Fold the ear in half with the inner ear inside the outer ear.
• Hand stitch the ears on both sides of the bangs to the sock.
• Cut out two "whites" of the eyes from white felt.
• Cut a tiny pin hole through the whites.
• About 2 inches below the ears, place the eye whites. 
• Poke a pin through your hole & cut another tiny hole.
• From the outside of the hole, push the brown plastic eye through the hole.
• From the inside of the hole, attach the metal ring around the plastic eye post.
• Behind the whites of the eye, glue the plastic eyelashes in place.
• Stuff the sock with the fiberfill or batting.
• For the bridle, wrap the cording around the toe of the sock as pictured, looping it around the metal rings and then gluing it in place.
• Add the bells to the rings on the outside of the bridle.
• Glue or sew in place two tan nostrils toward the toe on the sock as pictured. 
• Insert the pole inside the sock all the way to the top of the heal, making sure a little batting is wrapped around the wooden dowel.
• Apply a little hot glue around the inside of the dowel and carefully push the sock around  the pole from the outside.
• On the outside of the sock, add hot glue to the tip of the cording, right where you glued the sock & dowel together. Wrap the cording around the sock, spiraling down & adding extra glue as you go to the underneath side of the cording.
• Give the stick pony to a child and watch them gallop around and feed their pony a little grass.

My grandson started to feed this pony tree trunk, so I told him that his pony eats grass, hay or oats... that's why you can see the pony's mouth so close to the grass in the photos. 

This little guy loved the eye lashes.  After I put them onto the horse, I wasn't sure if I liked them, but after watching him rub his fingers back and forth through the lashes, I decided they were a fun addition to this pony.  Also, the bells are a must for a stick pony! My grandson liked the jingling sound they made as he pranced around his backyard.  What is it about toys that make noise?  I guess its every kids' dream to prance around on a horse. This little project brings it to life.  Enjoy! 

xoxo Grandma
Shared at these parties:  2 Crochet Hooks, Nap-time Creations, Simple Simon & Company, The Dedicated House, Paisley Roots