Leprechaun Pot of Gold

Materials:

• One wooden clothespin (body)
• One 1 1/4 -inch-diameter wooden bead, with 7/16-inch-diameter hole in one end (head)
• Two 7/16-inch-diameter wooden beads (hands)
• One craft (Popsicle) stick
• One sheet of green felt
• Scrap of yellow felt
• Scrap of black felt
• One white pipe cleaner
• One 3-inch clay pot
• Acrylic paint – green, black, yellow, pink, red, white, blue and brown
• Glue gun
• Sand paper
• Saw
• Candy coins or gold foil Hershey’s kisses

Instructions:

Cut out pattern pieces. Following the patterns cut out all felt pieces. Set aside.

Body, Legs and Pot:
 

Figure 1

Using a saw cut clothespin 1/4-inch below top of slit (see fig 1). The top of clothespin will be the body. The bottom pieces will be the legs. Cut each leg in equal halves. You now have 5 pieces, four leg pieces and one body piece. Cut 3/4-inch from each end of craft stick for feet. Discard the middle of the craft stick. If the upper part of the clothespin does not fit over the side of the clay pot, use sand paper to sand a small section of the pot rim to thin it out so the clothespin will fit.

Paint outside and inside of the clay pot black. Paint the leg pieces green. Paint the feet black.

Figure 2

To assemble the legs, glue one foot piece to the end of a leg piece. Be sure rounded sides face the same direction. Glue a second leg piece to the other end (see figure 2). Repeat to create the other leg. Paint buckle on front of leg above foot (see figure 3).

Figure 3

Press clothespin over edge of clay pot using glue to secure in place. Glue legs to clay pot on each side of the body (see figure 2).

Arms:
 

Figure 4

Use a ruler to measure, then fold over 2 3/4 inches on both sides of pipe cleaner. Twist together. For hands, push a small bead onto each folded end until stem is flush with end of bead (see figure 4)

Figure 5

Center arms on neck of clothespin. Wrap to back of body and back around to sides. Adjust arms slightly bending at elbows (see figure 5).

Shirt:
Insert neck opening of shirt over top of clothespin. Fold and glue sides of shirt together under arm. Wrap belt around waist and glue in front (see figure 6). Glue a buckle over belt in front.

Figure 6

Head:
 

Figure 7

Paint head as shown in figure 7. Let dry. Glue head onto the top of clothes pin.

Hat:
Glue short ends of hat sides together slightly overlapping. Shape to form a circle. Glue hat top to top edge of side piece. Glue hat brim to bottom edge of side piece. Wrap hat band around hat just above brim. Glue in front. Glue a buckle piece to hat band at the front of the hat. Glue hat to leprechaun head.

Fill pot with chocolate coins or gold foil Hershey’s kisses.