A DIY mobile is a great way to add beauty to a baby's nursery or any room. Find out how to make a mobile to give as a gift or decorate your own home. These three great projects are perfect for any level of crafter.
Simple DIY Origami Animal Mobile
Because origami lets you create three-dimensional shapes out of paper, it's ideal for making a mobile that has a contemporary style. This is perfect for a modern baby nursery or any room in your home. The hardest part of making this mobile is deciding on the type of origami animal or bird you want to use. After that, it's just about assembling the mobile.
Things You'll Need
Gather the following supplies:
- Eight sheets of origami paper in your desired colors
- Bone folder, if desired
- Six simple, thin wood or bamboo sticks in various lengths
- White twine
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
What to Do
- The first thing you need to do is decide on the animal you want to make. You can make a fish, fold an origami swan, make an origami crane, or even fold an origami cat. LoveToKnow Origami has tons of great step-by-step instructions and ideas.
- Use the origami paper you chose to make eight of your selected animal or bird. You can make them all the same color or use different colors for a rainbow effect.
- Use the tip of the scissors to poke a tiny hole in the top of each paper animal. Cut eight pieces of twine, each about 14 inches long. Tie a piece of twine to each animal, using the hole you made.
- Cut a piece of twine about four inches longer than you would like the first stick to hang. Tie one end of the twine to a hook on the ceiling. Tie the other end to the middle of the longest stick. Apply a dab of hot glue to the part of the twine knotted around the stick to make sure it is secure. Trim off any excess twine.
- Cut another piece of twine, about eight inches in length. Tie one end to the end of the top stick. Tie the other end to the middle of a medium-sized stick.
- Cut a piece of twine about six inches long. Tie one end to the other end of the top stick. Tie the other end to another medium-sized stick, about a third of the way down the stick.
- Choose two smaller sticks and tie an animal to each end. Make the length anything you want to start, since you'll be adjusting the lengths as you assemble the mobile. Tie these smaller sticks to one of the medium-sized sticks hanging from the mobile.
- Tie two more animals to a medium-sized stick. Add it to the other end of the mobile. Tie the remaining animals on the mobile at the ends of each stick.
- Adjust the lengths of the twine pieces so the mobile balances. The exact lengths will depend on the weight of your sticks and animals, so just keep moving them until you get the mobile to balance. Then trim the ends of the twine and use glue to secure it.
Easy Felt Cloud Baby Mobile
You can make a baby mobile to give as a gift for keep to decorate the nursery. This easy project is great, whether you're learning to sew or have been working with a needle and thread all your life. It's very simple to assemble, and you can customize it to fit any color scheme.
Things You'll Need
You can buy these supplies at your local craft store:
- Two sheets of white craft felt
- Fiber-fill stuffing
- Embroidery floss and needle
- Felt scraps in various colors
- Scissors
- Sewing needle and thread
- Disappearing fabric marker
- Pins
What to Do
- Use the disappearing fabric marker to draw a cloud shape on one piece of white felt. The bottom of the cloud should be flat. Cut out the cloud. Then use this cloud as a pattern to cut a second, identical cloud.
- Embroider a face on one or both sides of the cloud. You can use the disappearing marker to draw it on first if you would prefer to use that as a guide.
- Cut twelve felt rain drops in various colors, two for each color.
- Pin two same-colored raindrops together. Pin a piece of embroidery floss at the point so the raindrop can hang from that. You can adjust the length later. Sew almost all the way around the raindrop. Stuff it with a little fiber-fill and then sew up the opening.
- Repeat with the remaining five raindrops.
- Pin the raindrops at different lengths from the bottom of one of the cloud pieces. Adjust until you are happy with the balance.
- Pin the other cloud piece on top, keeping the ends of the raindrop embroidery floss inside the cloud. Sew almost all the way around the cloud, leaving the top open.
- Stuff the cloud and pin a long piece of embroidery floss at the top for hanging. Sew the opening closed, securing the embroidery floss.
- Hang the cloud from a hook over the baby's crib.
Sea Glass and Driftwood Mobile
This mobile also acts as a wind chime if you hang it outside, and it's easy to construct using purchased sea glass. The basic design is very simple.
Things You'll Need
You may already have some of the following items on hand, and the rest are available for purchase:
- Piece of driftwood
- Rope for hanging
- Beading thread or wire
- Sea glass beads, such as these for sale on Amazon
- Scissors
What to Do
- Begin by hanging the driftwood piece from a hook. Tie a piece of rope to each end to form a triangle that suspends the wood evenly.
- Cut a piece of beading thread to about the length you would like the sea glass strands to hang. Tie one end to the wood. Begin stringing the sea glass pieces to it. If desired, you can space them apart by knotting the thread between beads. Tie the thread around the last bead on the strand.
- Repeat this process with each strand of sea glass beads until you have several strands hanging from the driftwood.
Tips for Making a Mobile
Whether you make your mobile from sea glass, felt, paper, or something else, keep these tips in mind:
- Recognize that mobiles aren't an exact science. The length and placement of the strings depends on the weight of the thing you are suspending.
- Take some time to move things around to get the balance you want. Wait to secure anything permanently until you have things balanced.
- Get inspired by nature. You can make a mobile out of anything, including leaves, acorns, rocks, branches, and more.
- If you'll be making a mobile as a gift, find out about the colors and themes used in the room. Then you can coordinate.
Mobiles Are Easy to Make
No matter what type of mobile you choose, you'll find this is an easy and rewarding craft project. You can give a mobile as a gift, use one to add color and style to a room in your own home, or even make one for outside.
