A Swedish-style Dala Horse tree decoration made from felt!

You will need:
- Red felt
- White felt
- Red sewing thread and needle and/or red embroidery floss
- Sewing machine (optional)
- Stuffing
- Template
- Ribbon or similar, approximately 20 cm length
- Black embroidery floss or two small black seed (size 8 is ideal) beads
- Seed beads (size 11) in red, white, gold, silver etc (optional)
- Scissors and Glue suitable for fabric

Step 1: Cut!

Cut two (2) horse bodies from red felt.
Cut two (2) saddle pieces "S" from white felt.
Cut two (2) bridle pieces "B" from white felt.
Cut two (2) girth pieces "G" from white felt.
Cut two (2) chest pieces "C" from white felt.

You can either pin the template pieces to the felt and cut around them, or you can trace around the templates on to the felt before cutting.

Step 2: Glue and Embroider!

Glue the bridle, girth and chest pieces to the horse bodies, using the template as a guide for placement.
Embroider running stitch decoration using red thread.
Glue the saddle pieces on top, again using template as a guide.
Embroider running stitch and snowflake decorations.

Sew the black seed beads into place for eyes, or use black embroidery floss and make french knots for eyes.

If you are using seed beads for additional decoration, sew these on now. Take care with placement, so they don't interfere with sewing the bodies together later (Learn From My Fail).

Step 3: Don't Forget a Thingy for Hanging...

Use a piece of ribbon or similar to make a hanger. Stick it to one of the bodies as in the picture. When you sew the bodies together, the hanger will be securely attached.

Step 4: Sew and Turn!

Place the two horse bodies right-sides-together and pin to hold.

Machine or hand stitch the seam, 0.5cm from the edge. Make sure to leave a gap in the neck where marked for turning and stuffing!

Here's a tip if you are machine stitching: leave loooooong tails of thread after sewing. You can use these to ladder stitch the neck together after stuffing without having to worry about anchoring a thread invisibly :)

Clip seams so that your turned horse doesn't go wonky. See template for where to clip if unsure.

Turn the horse right side out, making sure to push the ear and tail so they have a nice shape.

Step 5: Stuff and Sew Some More!

Before starting to stuff, bring the loooooong threads to the right side of the horse using a needle. This will make sewing up easier, later.

Stuff the tail first, if you wish you can hand-stitch some definition into the tail (dotted line on template) at this point.
Finish stuffing the rest of the horse.

Use ladder stitch or whip stitch to sew the neck together when you are done.