Remember when we toured the bright and beautiful nursery created by Hallmark designer Lindsay H.? Well, now she’s back to show us how to make baby mobiles like the one over her daughter’s crib. Read on to get inspired and create your own.
When I was putting together my daughter’s nursery, I got really inspired by all the DIY mobiles I saw in nursery photos around the web. I thought a handmade mobile would be a beautiful touch, but I just never got around to making one. Then at my baby shower, a sweet friend surprised me with a handmade mobile that fit my daughter’s room perfectly.
I loved it so much and thought it was the sweetest gift, so when another friend’s baby shower came up, I decided to do the same. Then, naturally, I gathered a few Hallmark friends together for a workshop. I hope our mobile ideas inspire you to create your own mobile for a gift, your own nursery or really any room in your house. (Scroll down for instructions.)
All of these mobiles started with a simple embroidery hoop, and then each of us decided what to hang from it. There were lots of great ideas: hand-painted beads, plush hot-air balloons, cut fabric, and even live plants!
You can make your own baby mobile with the following supplies:
- Embroidery hoop (just the inner ring)
- Felted balls (beads, pom poms, or anything else to hang from the ring)
- Embroidery floss
- Needle
- Scissors
Start by laying out the felted balls in the order you like. (I decided to have four strings of balls attached to the hoop and one hanging down the center.)
Next cut 5 pieces of embroidery floss. (I used 5-foot lengths so there would be plenty of extra floss to hang the mobile.)
Thread the needle with the embroidery floss and then push the needle through the felt balls starting with the top one first.
Position the first ball about a foot down on the floss and keep adding the balls on, spacing them how you would like. The felt balls will stay in place on their own, but you can easily move them up or down to change the spacing.
After you’ve threaded all the felted balls, you can start assembling your mobile.
You want your four strings of balls to be evenly spaced on the embroidery hoop. Start with your first string of balls. Take the floss just above the top ball and wrap it a couple times around the hoop. Make sure you leave enough extra floss at the top to hang the hoop. Repeat with the other three strings at regular intervals around the hoop. Now take the extra floss from each of those and add the center string of balls.
Hold it up to make sure the mobile hangs evenly and then tie them all together in a knot. Finally, thread another felt ball to disguise the knot and add a loop at the top to hang. I attached a simple cup hook to the ceiling to hang my finished mobile.
Love it? Find more creative craft ideas from our Hallmark artists here! And share your baby mobile creations with us @think.make.share.
Photographer: Kevin Cozad
So many cute ideas! I love the air balloon one most! I just love that you can be so creative when it comes to a baby mobile.
Very cute! Thank you for this tutorial. This does not seem complicated, I have to try! 🙂
What size hoop did you use? I have a 10 inch one… it just looks so small to me, but looks pretty similar to what you used! 🙂
So cute!! I love them all, but the one with the felt balls is my favorite! Question though, how do you hang these from the ceiling? Is there a specific/special way? Thank you!!
Natalie
SO sorry… I just saw your last sentence where you said you used a hook! Genius. Thank you!!
I love this idea! Im making this for my grandson! Thank you!!
Hello, is there a site we can get these hand painted beads at? They are beautiful!
Hi Melissa,
Our artists painted natural beads from the local craft store. You can find a more in depth tutorial in our wood bead necklace post: https://www.thinkmakeshareblog.com/painted-wood-bead-necklace/
Happy creating!
Looks great. Will be trying it.
A Great Idea. I got a great grand baby in August and one great,great nephew in May so now I am going to make a baby mobile thank you
Good luck crafting! And congrats!!
Love it. I’m going to try it for my daughter. Expecting her first bundle of joy in June. I’m inspired to make the best. Thank you
These look great! Can you tell me what the leafy wrap around the embroidery hoop is?
Hi, Emily! That one is a live maidenhair vine—kept alive by attaching water tubes to the hoop. If you’re looking for something a little lower-maintenance (and less damp), there are a lot of different artificial options available online!
—Trish