Embroidery Library - Machine Embroidery Designs Inspired Project Page

Baby Mobile

Bright baubles
for baby to watch

Bright, double-sided embroideries are hanging around, to make this colorful baby mobile for the newest addition to the family.

Supplies needed:

Applique fabric scraps for animals, cloud, ark
1/4-inch wide ribbon -- 3 spools (5 yards each)
4 half-inch copper pipe bends -- from the plumbing department of a hardware or home improvement store.
4 feet of wood dowel that will fit tightly into the copper pipe bends
Non-toxic acrylic paint
Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Embroidery Designs from Embroidery Library:

Applique Baby Animals and Noah's Ark designs

Cut the dowel into four 12-inch lengths and test-fit the ends into the copper pipe bends.

Paint each dowel piece with the acrylic paint and allow to dry completely.

Glue the dowels into the pipe bends to create a square. When the glue hardens, you will have a sturdy square. This will become the frame of the mobile.

Set the frame aside.

Now it's time to make "double-sided embroidery" to add to the mobile.

The Noah's Ark Animal Applique pack contains the embroidery designs and dielines and the mirrored designs and dielines to make the double-sided embroidery. When you download the pack, note that the embroidery files begin with the letter "Y" followed by 4 numbers. The dieline files also begin with "Y" but ends in "_DL." You will use the dieline files to cut the fabric to the exact shapes for the double-sided embroidery.

Sew out the dieline files onto pieces of paper. You can also print the dielines from embroidery software.

Place two scraps of the same fabric, right sides together. Place one of the dielines on top of the fabric, then cut around the shape. Now you'll have two applique fabric pieces that are "mirror" images.

Next, embroider the design (the file that begins with a Y followed by 4 numbers) onto a piece of cutaway stabilizer. Embroider the applique design, and also its mirror.

First, the dieline will sew. After it sews, place the applique fabric in the dieline and continue the design with the tack-down stitch and satin-stitch border.

Here you can see the cloud design sewn twice. The top one is the original and the bottom is the mirrored design.

Cut out each piece close to the outer stitching.

When the designs are placed wrong sides together, you will have double-sided embroidery.

Cut four pieces of ribbon that are 12 inches long.

On the wrong side of one of each animal, hot glue the ribbon to the top center.

Hot glue the two sides of each animal together, matching up the edges, to form the double-sided embroidery.

Cut a 24-inch piece of ribbon. Glue an ark piece to one end of the ribbon and glue the two ark pieces together as you did the animals.

Place the cloud on the ribbon, about 6 inches from the top of the ark. Glue the wrong side of one of the cloud pieces to the ribbon, then glue the other cloud piece to the first, matching up the edges.

Cut two 36-inch pieces of ribbon.

Tie the ends of each ribbon to opposing diagonal corners of the square frame. The ribbons will cross in the center. The mobile will hang from these ribbons.

Pick up the ribbon that has the ark and cloud attached to it. Tie the free end of this ribbon around where the supporting ribbons cross, making sure that the cloud and ark are hanging where you like them and that the frame is hanging straight.

Glue the knots at the corners of the frame and at the top, so that they do not slip out.

Tie each animal to a corner of the frame. They should hang down about 6 inches from the frame.

Glue these knots as well to keep them from slipping.

Tie four fluffy bows with the remaining ribbons and glue them to the corners of the frame.

Tie a ribbon loop around the top crossed ribbons to use as a hanging loop.

Suspend this cute and colorful mobile over baby's crib or changing table. You can hang it from a hook in the ceiling or from a mobile arm that can be attached to the side of the crib.

This baby mobile is a wonderful decoration - but it's not intended to be a toy. Make sure to keep it well out of baby's reach!

Click here for a printable version of these project instructions.

You'll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you don't have it, you can download a free copy by clicking on the icon below.