My friend Nina and her sweet and adorable daughter Lily came to visit last May for our college reunion. While they were staying with us, Lily got attached to the wooden dala horses on the bookshelf in our living room, brought over from Sweden decades ago (by my uncle, I think). She played with them, napped with them, and always wanted to be holding one (or both). It was pretty cute -- I mean, just look!
I thought for her birthday/Christmas I'd send down softer versions of her beloved horsies (spoiler alert, Nina ;). And this tutorial would work for any random object your kid gets attached to.
You will need:
- A white background, like a sheet or a piece of posterboard
- Photo editing software (I used Photoshop)
- T-shirt transfers
- An iron
- A sewing machine or basic sewing skills
- Stuffing
- White cotton fabric
Start by photographing the object on the white background. Then, using your image editing software, make the colors nice and bright (see above and below, before and after editing).
Size it to fit the 8.5x11" transfer paper, and print. (Remember, the final product will be whatever image you print out, flipped!)
Use your iron (and the transfer instructions) to transfer the images to the fabric.
Double the fabric, pin around the object (so that there are two layers of fabric) and cut out, leaving at least a 1/4" border.
You now should have two horse-shaped pieces of fabric -- one with the print, one blank. Pin them together, with the print on the inside. Leave an opening that you are not going to sew! (I left the rumps of the horses alone.)
Stitch around the edges, being careful not to stitch over the area you are leaving open. Turn the objects inside out, using the opening. (Something narrow and pointy like a knitting needle can be helpful with turning your corners inside out.)
Put in as much stuffing as you want, and stitch the opening closed!
PS – How to sew a soft, crinkly tag toy.
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