DIY baby mobile

This beautiful DIY baby mobile with felt birds would make a gorgeous addition to any infant’s room. Use some simple sewing techniques to make your own mobile for a new arrival! It’s very easy to make, and you don’t even need a sewing machine.

This baby mobile DIY is ideal for new sewers to make because you only need to master a few simple embroidery stitches to make something that looks very impressive!

Read on to learn how to make a DIY baby mobile step by step…

How to make a DIY baby mobile

Notes

• Download the templates here.

You will need:

• Acrylic felt (assorted colour pack)
• Soft toy stuffing
• Stranded cotton (assorted colours)
• Buttons (7 pairs)
• Embroidery hoop (25cm (10in))
• Nylon cord (5m (5 1/2yds))
• Basic sewing kit

New to sewing? Read our beginner’s guides, which are full of tips and techniques to help you get started. Check out our sewing for beginners and how to use a sewing machine.

Cutting out

Step 1

Trace and cut out the templates for the body, wing and beak. Pin the patterns to the felt and cut two bodies and two wings in each colour. Cut one beak per bird in either yellow or black felt.

Making a bird

Step 1

Stitch a line of backstitch down the centre of one wing shape.

Step 2

From the centre, sew backstitches to create a feathered look.

Step 3

Place the wing on a contrasting body and sew it on using small running stitches.

Step 4

Sew a button on to create an eye. If you’ve never done this before, check out our how to sew a button guide.

Step 5

Make a second body in the same way as the first one.

Step 6

Sew the two bird shapes together with blanket stitch. When you get to the beak part, sandwich the beak between the two body shapes and sew it in place with small stab stitches.

Step 7

Carry on sewing around the body until you get to the top of it. Fill with toy stuffing, then continue stitching to close the gap and finish the bird. We made seven birds for our mobile.

Constructing the mobile

Step 1

Cut a 35cm (13¾in) length of cord and tie it around the blanket stitching at the top of the bird. Push the end of the cord into the centre back.

Step 2

Tie the other end of the cord onto the embroidery ring.

Step 3

Repeat with all the birds and tie them onto the ring. Vary the cord lengths so the birds hang at different heights.

Step 4

To hang the mobile, cut four lengths of cord and tie them to the top of the hoop, evenly spaced. Tie the four ends of the cord together to hang.

Customise your DIY baby mobile to suit your little one

We love the mixture of colours used for this project, but you could easily adapt the colour scheme to suit your own preferences. It’s a great way to use up leftover pieces of felt from old projects, too. You could also raid your button box and stitch on any odd buttons you have lying around for a quirky look.

Find your next sewing project

You’ve finished! We hope you enjoyed making this adorable DIY baby mobile for a new arrival. Head over to our collection of toy sewing patterns to continue making sweet gifts for your little ones.

Juliet Bawden

Juliet Bawden is a designer, maker, author and journalist. She has had over 70 craft books published, some exploring and making the things herself, and others writing about designers who are at the top of their field. Her books include ‘The Art and Craft of Papier Mache’, ‘Hearts’ a book of Romantic Gifts, ‘The Hat Book’, ‘Rag Rug’ inspirations, ‘The Art and Craft of Applique’ and more. She also designs, makies and writes for magazines including : Coast, Simply Sewing and Reloved as well as for the web site of both Cath Kidston and Laura Ashley.

See author's posts