diy: bird mobile

One of my very best friends is pregnant - someone with whom I went to preschool, Mother's Morning Out and Girl Scouts, and who I picked up every day for high school. She and her husband live in Kentucky now, and they're decorating an adorable baby-girl nursery.

Two years ago, I made a bunch of little birds to decorate our wedding reception, and I based the pattern on these beautiful birds that Jessica had made for me. I thought they would make a perfect mobile for a nursery some day, even before Spool's showed up online (theirs is adorable, too). Since my friend will be hanging a sampler in her nursery, and since I've always wanted to use them for something, I used wooden embroidery hoops to perch my birdies on.



Materials:
1/4 yard each of four contrasting fabrics
needle and thread
polyester stuffing
10" and 12" wood embroidery hoops
monofilament or fishing line
about a dozen crimp tubes (available at beading stores)

needle-nose pliers, for flattening crimp tubes
staple gun and 1/4" staples

Here is the simple pattern that I made to make these birds. I chose four different fabrics, and tried to coordinate them to the colors and fabrics in my friend's nursery. Sew each of the birds according to the pattern. I made three or four French knots for each of the eyes.

When you've made eight birds, sew them onto the inner ring of a 10" and a 12" embroidery hoop. The birds likely won't sit up or look great; you're just trying to figure out the spacing right now.



Cut three 30" lengths of monofilament (or one length and one double-length), and knot a loop at one end. Use crimp tubes to secure the knot on both sides. Mark the same length on each string, about 14" from the loop, in permanent marker. Wrap the string around the small embroidery loop, at the length marked on the string. Secure with a crimp bead.

Tie the large ring on below the smaller one. Fiddle with both rings until you've gotten them both reasonably level. Then secure all your knots with crimp beads.

Slide the large hoops onto the smaller hoops, and tighten to fit. Readjust the strings - they may need to be spaced unevenly around the hoops, depending on how your birds are spaced, in order to get the hoops level and well balanced. Once you're happy, secure the string placement with a staple.

Now go back and sew each bird securely into place. The extra width afforded by the outer hoop will make it easier to get the birds to stand up straight.

Done! Throw your friend a shower, and help decorate the nursery!