She is in sixth grade and loves her horse, Drawdy. This customized pillow has both her name and her horses name and image on the front. Additional details include a small key ring added to the halter, fringe for the mane and forelock, textured yarn details in the ears and heart, and a faux leather backing. This pattern is available for free at my Ravelry and Craftsy stores. If you came here through those sites, welcome! Hopefully I can give a bit more insight here.
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| My model |
To learn about my inspiration, please visit this post.
This was the pattern designed for the horse pillow. You begin at the bottom right of the grid and finish at the top. To me the neck is kind of skinny looking, but after the fringe is added it looks much better! :) Also, I wouldn't advise skipping the halter. I actually added it in order to create a distinction between the horses head and neck, without the halter, something is just...off.
I didn't add quite as many embellishments with this one as they weren't really necessary. The heart is made from a really pretty textured yarn I've had forever, and the inside of the ears is made from a yarn I spun myself from Alpaca fiber to add texture and shadowing. Originally this was going to be pink, but in hindsight I decided it made the horse look like a very bizarre mouse...
The backing on this pillow is a faux leather I've had lying in my stash forever. Because it's faux, it's soft and supple and can easily be punctured with a yarn needle. To get the perfect size, I pinned the finished front to the fabric and cut around it. It doesn't fray, but just in case, I used pinking shears to prevent any possible fraying. If using a fabric that does, simply use your favorite method of finishing to finish the edge. Using a yarn needle and embroidery thread or tatting yarn, complete a blanket stitch around the perimeter. You'll want to insert the needle about a quarter inch from the edge (or just under your hem, if you created one) and make each stitch about a quarter inch apart.
Using the blanket stitched edge, join the front and back together, wrong sides together using a single crochet stitch. Leave a small section open along the edge and remember to stuff it before you finish closing. My favorite part about this, is probably the fact that you don't have to weave in a million ends, just stuff them in the pillow. :)
I'd also like to share some important "Do's" and "Don'ts" I learned using the afghan stitch:
DO: Customize this pattern, or create your own, I promise you can do it!
DO: Watch the Gege Crochet tutorials on YouTube, especially the one on color changes.
DO: Take lots of pictures of the process, I really wish I had taken more.
DO: Stay organized when arranging the skeins, the order you use them is best.
DON'T: Try to travel with this. This is really not the project you work on in the car or at the doctor's office. Sometimes you'll have so many skeins attached at once you'll have more of a headache untying the knots than it's worth.
DON'T: Over embellish. Step away from the work OFTEN and eliminate the inclusion of truly unnecessary details that would clutter and take away from the design rather than add to it.
DON'T: Be afraid to ask your family member for their opinion. My sister the horse-lover was especially helpful on this one. She was really helpful for advice on getting the correct proportions when designing the pattern, and determining which of the embellishments were unnecessary.
DON'T: Design the pattern in one sitting. Step away from it often to get an overall perspective and clear your head after a while. This is more important than you realize. Had I not stepped away from this pattern...I'd have made a bizarre looking mouse. :)
I really hope you enjoy this pattern and it inspires you to make your own! :)
~That Farm Girl Teacher
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