Finished: Horatio, A Vintage Christmas Horse

My final project this year is a special one. It was a Christmas present for Miss Kestrel (who doesn't qualify as Baby Kestrel any longer), made using this vintage Style 4351 sewing pattern from 1973 for animal floor cushions:

I bought it over two years ago in a charity shop in the Lake District. I thought it was so cool that I couldn't resist buying it, even though I didn't have any children at the time. They'd also work as foot stools too, don't you think? I really love the elephant but I don't think it looks very comfy to sit on. Ditto with the Camel. So, I went for the horse.

 Wearing his Christmas bow

In the spirit of the 70s pattern styling, I decided that it would need to be a bit more interesting than your usual brown or black horse. So, I plumped for bright green. Of course! The body fabric is something man-made with a velvet-like feel. The mane, tail and saddle are fleece. The pattern recommends felt for these parts but I wanted to make the cover washable, so fleece was a better option. I used some felt scraps for the eyes and the mouth and nose were hand-embroidered

Dot kissing the Loch Ness monster (aka Horatio pre-covering)

The pattern has you putting the stuffing directly into the body but I wanted to have a removable cover so that it can be washed. I made the body using a charity shop bed sheet (without adding the ears) and then added two zips to the cover so that it can be slipped on and off easily. Also, the horse now has an unzippable bum flap:

 The zips curve around the side and underneath the horse

I wish I'd recorded how long it took to make as it was put together over quite a few evenings and afternoons. The cost was around £50 for materials, all of which came from Remnant Kings. The project was accompanied by several freak-outs, namely:

The Nose Sewing Freak Out - Ugh, sewing the nose was the trickiest part of the horse. You have to ease a long strip of fabric onto the two curved sides. and easing is my least favourite thing to do. It required loads of ripping and re-sewing and the end result isn't perfect but it's good enough and mistakes aren't too noticeable.

The Stuffing Freak Out - I hadn't bought stuffing at the same time as the fabric and when I got to this point and looked in the pattern, it stated that I needed 4kg of stuffing. Checking the Hobbycraft website to get an idea of cost told me this would cost £48 if I bought it from them. Just for stuffing! Eek! A lot of money when you're not sure how something will turn out. Luckily when I phoned Remnant Kings the next day, I found out it would only cost £20 from them. Phew. But it was a whole black bin liner full:

 

The Goblin Horse Freak Out - Before the mane, tail saddle and bridle were added, this thing looked really GREEN and I had a vision of her seeing it and starting to cry because it was too scary. Once it was finished, it looked much better than I thought.

The 'Will She Like it?' Freak Out - I'd put a lot of work into this and toddlers can be as unpredictable as cats when it comes to the things they like. I'd be really sad if she didn't want to sit on it.

The End of the Project Freak Out - The reins and bridle were the last thing to sew and I was making a real mess of this simple bit of sewing. I had that thing you get at the end of a big project, where you get really stressed when the end is in sight. My Current Husband had to talk through this nonsensical freak out.

The result? She likes it!

Christmas Day action shot of riding the horse

When she first saw it she spent a bit of time petting its mane and then sat on it and 'rode' it. I think she'll get a few years of use out of it too.

Enjoying a festive sofa advert

Happily, this horse is a great way to end the year of my #vintagepledge to sew from vintage patterns. I originally pledged to make 3 items from vintage patterns but actually managed to make 7. This year I really got into vintage patterns in a big way, finding that the mid-late 70s to early 80s was an era that I particularly love.

Next year will see more vintage patterns sewn by me. I have a pile that I can't wait to get started on.

I'll see you in 2015 - Happy New Year and thank you for reading and commenting this year. It means a lot and keeps me motivated to sew and blog.

K x