One of the most recognizable images of Sweden is their wooden Dala Horse. These traditional horses got their name from town of Dalarna, in central Sweden. Since the time of the Vikings, the horse held a special spiritual significance. Wooden toys were often made for children using scraps from furniture making. The Dala Horse, with its iconic red coat and painted flowers, became common in the 1800s. Today, it is one of the most popular souvenirs in Sweden. Our Dala Horse Felt Project has all the beauty and tradition of the original horses but is made out of felt instead of wood.

Note: Like most crafts, children will need help depending on their age and ability. You will probably need to help your child cut out the felt, and teach them how to do a running stitch. Some children will take to this and for other children, it may be frustrating. If your child is having trouble with the needle and thread, pieces can be glued to the horse. If you do glue the pieces on, keep the glue away from the edges because it will still be necessary to sew the front and back together. It is very difficult to get a needle through dried glue!

Dala Horse Felt Project Materials

• 100% wool felt*
• 6 strand cotton embroidery floss
• packing tape (optional)
• straight pins or stapler
• craft glue (optional)
• disappearing marker (optional) or pencil
• fiber fill stuffing
• sharp scissors
• pattern

*We highly recommend using 100% wool felt if you think your child will play with the horse. If it is going to be used mostly for decoration, a wool blend will work fine. DO NOT use synthetic craft felt. It is too thin and the horse will fall apart.

Dala Horse Felt Project Directions

Make a copy of the pattern. Note: We find it handy to make 3 or 4 copies of the pattern. Cut out all the pattern pieces close to, but not on the lines.

We are sharing how we cut out felt because it makes for smooth edges and pieces that are the exact same size. Obviously, you can cut them out however you want! Begin by placing two pieces of felt on top of one another. Tape the pattern piece to the top piece of felt.

Using straight pins or a stapler, secure the pattern and the two pieces of felt together. We like to use a stapler. If you are using high quality felt you can staple through it without hurting the felt. We like staples over straight pins because your thread does not get tangled on the pins and you don’t stab your fingers.

Cut out your pattern pieces. The secret to smooth edges is sharp scissors.

When you are done cutting out the felt pieces, remove the staples.

You will need to cut out 2 of everything except you will need 4 leaves and 6 small circles.

The front and back of the horse are mirror images of one another.

Applique the felt pieces to the front and back. Use 6 strands of floss and a running stitch to applique all the pieces. Tip: When placing your applique pieces on the body of the horse, like the straps, cut out those areas on your pattern. You can now lay this over the body of the horse and place your felt pieces where the pattern was cut out.

Again, staple or pin the appliques on the horse. Using a running stitch and 6 stands of floss, sew the appliques to the body. DO NOT stitch the outside edge of the horse. When you sew the front to the back, the outer edges of the appliques will be sewn down.

When you are done sewing on an applique, remove the staples. We worked on the front and back at the same time. This helped us make sure everything was lined up and we didn’t need to change embroidery floss colors as often.

When you are done appliqueing the pieces to the front and back, add the bridle details. Use 6 strands of felt and a running stitch or a back stitch. Use a disappearing marker or pencil to mark the lines for stitching.

You can add a star inside the flower by sewing 8 intersecting straight stitches.

Use a straight stitch and six strands of floss for the eyes.

All that remains is to sew the horse together and stuff. Begin by pinning or stapling the front to the back.

Starting at one of the dots on the pattern, stitch around the outside of the horse using a running stitch and six strands of floss. Leave the area on the belly between the 2 dots open.

Add stuffing to the horse and then sew the belly closed.

Your horse is now ready to play with. Hope you enjoyed our Dala Horse Felt Project.