DIY Network

Baby Bonanza: Book, Mobile and Rug Take a walk on the soft side with these baby-safe gifts. From "Uncommon Threads" episode DUCT-253

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Bird Mobile

Teresa Levy assembles an adorable bird mobile using soft felt, embroidery stitches and a little stuffing.

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Bird Mobile

Materials:

1/2" wooden dowel
hacksaw
sandpaper
eyehooks
wool felt
thread
scissors
safety eyes
pearl cotton embroidery floss
polyfill stuffing

Figure A

1. Cut down a 1/2" (diameter) wooden dowel into two 8" lengths.

2. Cut 4 strips of felt, each 9-1/2"x1-1/2" (figure A).

3. Sew the 2 long sides and one short side to make a sleeve; slide the dowel into the felt sleeve. Do this for both dowels, then close the remaining short side.

4. Using the pearl cotton embroidery floss, tie the 2 covered dowels in a crisscross. Then screw in the eyehooks at each of the ends of dowels and one in the top.

PDF Bird template: click to download.

5. Cut out all the pieces for 4 birds from the pattern (see template, at right); also cut out stylized leaf shapes and attach them to the ends of the mobile branches (figure B).

6. Sew the beaks to the heads (figure C).

7. Attach the safety eyes as indicated on the pattern (figure D).

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Figure E

8. Sew the body of the bird starting 1/2" under the "chin" of the bird all the way around until 1" before the starting point. Stop, leave the thread attached and gently stuff with stuffing (figure E); then finish and close up the body. Repeat for all 4 bird bodies.

9. Sew the wings to the bodies of all the birds.

10. Pull a piece of cotton pearl floss through the back of each bird and knot.

Figure F

11. Tie in a bow to the eyehook; then double-knot the bow to secure it.

12. Tie a piece of ribbon or more embroidery floss to the top eyehook; then make a
loop and knot. Now the mobile is ready to hang from the ceiling over the baby's crib (figure F).

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