Wow, I started making these little birdies from Spool’s Blog a LONG time ago. I made a girly mobile for my friend, Ernessa over at Fierce and Nerdy and her baby, Betty, and I also made one for my own baby out of my leftover safari quilt fabric.
The birds were very easy to make and it is fun to mix and match the various fabrics. I printed the pattern out on card stock, so that it was easy to trace around and then I sewed some birds together on my sewing machine, and some by hand while sitting on the couch. It is MUCH quicker by machine and the seams in the birds come out smoother, but there is something relaxing about sitting on the couch in the evening hand sewing. I originally turned the seam allowance in on the tail and hand sewed it shut, but this was way too frustrating and time consuming, so I just sewed them shut with a narrow zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine. I like how the end of the tail looks feathery.
I purchased curly, knotty twigs from Michael’s, since I have about one tree in my yard and then sewed each bird on with matching brown thread. Then came the hard part…stringing and balancing the branches. I tried several different configurations and would always end up with the branch spinning and the birds ending up upside-down and dead looking. I didn’t want to traumatize the baby, so I finally did some internet research and realized that there needed to be a lone bird at the bottom that acts as a counter weight. I made one more bird and stuffed some rice in its belly for added weight and VOILA. From there is was easy! The branches still aren’t perfectly level, but then again, they aren’t level on trees either.
Below is the finished product. I still have to string up Betty’s mobile (shhhhhhh), but will post photos when I have finished it. I wanted all the mess-ups and extra screw holes to be on my mobile and not hers!
HI!! I LOVE this project!!! I couldn’t find the bird pattern online. I would love to try this awesome project!
Thanks! The bird pattern is on Spool’s Blog at this web address:
http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/birdpattern1-1.pdf
Oh, I abs LOVE this! Can’t wait to see the final product. And funny that it takes all sorts of physics to put a mobile together. Makes me appreciate whoever invented the original mobile. That must have been a project!
Any chance you’d be interested in making one and selling it to me?! I’m desperate to find one as I sew like I dance – NOT WELL! 🙂 I’ve looked all over etsy.com and can’t find this mobile to save my life!
Thanks!
Aww, Bri, I wish I could, but I have so much to do before the baby comes, and I am having “balancing issues” with the mobile I am making for a friend right now, so I hesitate to start another one.
I did find this person on Etsy, who is using the same pattern: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28113832. I think it is beautiful how she sewed the birds all onto one large branch, but she may be able to make it more mobile-like for you.
Balancing the twigs is truly a labor of love, so that is probably why you aren’t finding any like that for sale on Etsy. It is time-consuming!
Thank you thank you! I’ll look at the etsy link. You did really make a beautiful mobile! Good luck with your baby!
Your mobile is beautiful! I am working on one for my baby! I am still constructing the birds and will be putting the birds on the branches soon…we’ll see how it goes!