Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Mobile, not Alabama

Now that the babe's been around for four months (not to mention the 9 months of incubating), I've decided it's time to decorate his room. The first project? A mobile. I did some searching on pinterest and found a few I liked. My favorite one was found here. I loved the simplicity of it (read: easy to make) and I'm a sucker for polka dots. Let the mobile begin.

Supplies:
-the inside of an embroidery hoop, painted if desired
-fabric
-heat 'n bond-type product
-ribbon
-iron
-ironing board

First Step: Gather fabric. I raided my fabric dresser (yes, I have a dresser completely devoted to fabric) and pulled out a bunch of different blue fabrics.
Second Step: Iron on some Heat 'n Bond-type stuff to the back of the fabric. I used Heat 'n Bond Lite, but some of the circles curl a little now that it's hung up. Next time I'll use a heavier kind.

Third Step: Trace a gazillion circles onto the paper-covered side of the fabric. I found that the top of a mason jar was a perfect size for the big circles and the top of my shaving cream was great for the little ones. Do the math to figure out how many of each you'll need. I'd suggest 8 completed strands, half with 4 big and 5 small, half with 5 big and 4 small. Each completed circle takes two circles so that equals 72 big and 72 little.


Fourth Step: Cut out all of your circle. This is a great time to catch up on some fantastic reality TV. :)

Fifth Step: Arrange all of your circles. I'm a little on the anal side when it comes to things like this - I had to make sure no circles of the same fabric were near each other. This took some work.


sorry I don't have pictures for the next few steps, I was so excited I forgot. :)


Sixth Step: Break out your trusty iron and ironing board. Peel the paper backing off of one set of circles. Cut a piece of ribbon about 4 feet long (or whatever you want). Place the end of the ribbon between the two circles. Iron to glue them together. Repeat this process with the rest of the circles for that strand and then with the rest of the strands.


Seventh Step: Using hot glue or a needle and thread, attach the strands the the embroidery hoop. I made little marks on the hoop of where each strand should go so they'd be evenly spaced. Then use more ribbon to make a hanger.


Eighth Step: Hang your mobile!





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