[Ponte Alto] Ponte Alto's Palio Races - how to make your own hobby horse 'steed'

[Thomas Bilodeau]

Greetings 

In 20 days (Saturday 25 February AS 46)  the Barony of Ponte Alto is
celebrating its 20th birthday (but if you are really picky and we are going
to be 5 years old - this is what happens when the Group was made a barony on
the 29th of February).  Mistress Aislynn of Yarrow will be running Ponte
Alto's palio races - as we will have a race for adults as well as one for
our youth.  Lady Delphina the Mad will be the rental agent as she has a
small stable of "horses" that she will rent to those who forget their
steeds.  


Remember!  The colors most favored are sable, Or, argent, and azure. Below
are directions to making your steed. 

* * * *
Creating your own Palio Horse 		By Lady Delphina the Mad

Materials Needed:
1) 3 squares of soft felt in the color of your choice 
2) Eyes (buttons, craft google eyes, etc)
3) A strip of fake fur in the color of your choice
4) A large diameter dowel (from crafts section)
5) Needle and thread
6) Hot glue or any type of strong holding glue.
7) Stuffing material.
8) Scissors


Assembly:
Trace and cut out two of the horse head shape using 2 squares of your felt.
Next, using your second piece of felt, trace and cut out two ears and set
them aside.
Using your needle and thread (or a sewing machine if you're so inclined and
possibly lazy.but hey.no one is judging or looking. oh where was I?..  Oh
yes.), stitch the two horse head shapes together but do not sew together the
bottom of the neck.  Turn the sewn pieces inside out so that the seam is now
on the inside. 
Stuff your horse head with fiber stuffing to your desired level of non
squishiness.  It helps to stuff the head with enough fiber stuffing to hold
its shape, but loose enough so that you can still fit the dowel in the
middle.  Speaking of which, take your dowel and create a space for it to go.
Once you have done this, coat the end of your dowel with glue and reinsert
it into the horse head.  Allow to dry for appropriate amount of time as
appropriately indicated on the appropriate glue bottle. After the glue has
dried; stitch or tie the bottom of the neck closed.  (If tying you may use a
ribbon, string, the entrails of your enemies..whatever's handy)
Take your strip of fake fur and either glue or stitch it from the top of
your horses head all the way down the back of the neck.  Next, by looking at
your horse determine where you wish to place its ears.  Take one of the cut
out ears and fold it in half.   With the ear folded in half, locate the spot
where you want the ear to be attached and place the flat bottom edge of the
folded ear pattern there. If you do not have a general idea where a horses
ear belongs..please use google to see a picture of a live horse and never
confess to having to do so. Stitch along the flat bottom of this folded
pattern to attach it to the horse head.  Once you have sewn on the ear you
may open the ear back up.  The fold stitched at the bottom should give the
ear a more natural looking horse ear shape.  Repeat the same step for the
other ear. Do not test the horse's hearing.it is only a doll and will not
answer you.
Finally, locate on the horse's face where you wish to place its eyes and
either glue or sew (if using buttons) the eyes in place. Again, if you do
not know where on a horse the eyes should be located, please refer to google
and tell no one.  Feel free to embellish or add extra features to your horse
as you wish.  

Congratulations you now own your very own Palio Horse!


~Tirloch
Autocrat