This little horse can stand up on his own. And he’s not just for Christmas. Use him to decorate your tree and then keep
him out all year long. He
makes a great gift for any horse lover attached to a package or wine bottle
gift. Make one or a whole herd. Alternate the tail and mane colors for
different horses.
You will need:
Wine corks
16-gauge wire
Awl or nail
Wire cutters
Needle nosed pliers
220 fine sandpaper
Scrap of felt or suede
X-acto or craft knife
Hot glue gun and glue sticks or thick tacky glue
Wiggle eyes
Heavy cardboard piece 3” x 2 ¼”
Worsted weight yarn in desired color
Gold cord
Marker or pencil
Ruler
1.
Turn a wine cork on its side and make a triangle
shape with marker or pencil. Use the
marks as a cutting guide and cut out the triangle wedge. Make a straight line down the side at the
point of the triangle and cut. You will
have two leg pieces. Repeat with a
second cork for a total of four legs. (See photo) Use a piece of fine sandpaper to smooth the
cut edges.
2.
Make four dots with the marker on another wine
cork (body) for leg placement. Use the
awl or nail to make holes in the marked areas.
3.
Prepare the legs for insertion. At an angle make a hole in the wedged area of
the leg. Cut a 1” piece of wire and
insert into the leg adding a dab of glue on the wire. Use the needle nosed pliers for easy
insertion. Repeat with other three legs.
4.
Cut another wine cork in half for the neck. Make a hole in both of the wine cork half
ends. Using a 1” piece of wire, add a dab of glue and insert the wire into the
cork. Make a hole in the body with the
awl. Add a dab of glue on the wire of
the neck and insert into the body.
5.
Make the head by making a hole in the side of
another wine cork and insert a 1” piece of wire.
6.
To make the ears, use the X-Acto or craft knife
to cut a round side slice from a cork. From this cork circle cut out two
triangle shapes. Add some glue and
attach each triangle ear shape to the top back of the head. Add some glue on the wire of the head and apply to the neck.
7.
For the tail, using the cardboard piece, cut a
3” piece of yarn and lay it across the top.
Wrap around the cardboard about10 times.
Use the top yarn to tie it in a knot and cut the bottom edges. Cut a piece of felt or suede 1 ½” x ½”. Place the knotted tail on the body and glue
the felt or suede on top of the knot area.
Trim it up if necessary.
8.
Use the same cardboard to make the mane.
Wrapping only 6 or seven times. Take it
off and braid the top inch and glue the braid to the horse’s head down the
neck. Brush the longer pieces to the
side and trim if necessary. Glue on two
wiggle eyes and add a piece of gold cord for reins, which also doubles as a
hanger.