Rather than buying one of those generic, awful, plastic baby mobiles I decided to make my own. I love how unique something homemade can be AND it was so easy to make I completed it over two days with a newborn! (Blogging about it however, was not so easy).

What you need:

• Different fabrics – ideally leftover scraps, otherwise order the minimum 20cm cut from your fabric store
• Sewing machine (I mention an alternative below if you don’t have a machine)
• Thread (colour of your choice)
• ‘Bondaweb’ (or similar) transfer paper (it sticks two pieces of fabric together)
• Cross-stitching hoop
• Fishing wire
• Spare button with four holes (check your spare button collection from the spares you get with clothes!)
• Scissors, pen & a shape to trace (I used a torch for the circle!!)

I bought iron on paper called “Bondaweb” from the fabric store which means you can iron two pieces of fabric together (and make them double sided). Make sure you take the instructions when you buy some as different brands might have different instructions. Make sure you iron it to the wrong side of the fabric.

Once you have ironed the paper to the fabric it is instantly set and you can now cut your shapes.

I chose some retro fabric in bright (but not ugly) colours. I deliberately chose fabrics with interesting patterns so Baby would find it interesting.

This is the best part about Bondaweb – you peel back the paper and then the remaining fabric can be ironed to another fabric! I chose the same fabric pattern to iron together.

Choose a simple stitch and keep sewing past the first circle, connecting to the next circle (leave a slight gap so they’re not completely stuck together). You’ll see that the machine keeps threading the stitch through despite there being no fabric there. At the end of your ‘line’ keep threading so you have a long thread to tie to the hoop.

If you don’t have a sewing machine:  you could try using a very strong thread and fusing it between the fabrics when you iron them together. I’d probably tie a knot under each shape to secure it in place. I can’t guarantee it would work, but it’s worth a try!

I varied the different patterns and created different lengths which were staggered around the hoop. For example I had ‘lines’ that were four circles, six circles and eight circles long.

Now tie that extra long thread to the hoop, spacing each ‘line’ out evenly and in whatever pattern you like.

Now tie four pieces of fishing wire to the hoop at four even points on the hoop.

I secured the thread and fishing wire with tape so it couldn’t fall off! This is especially important if you’re going to hang the mobile over the bassinet or cot. You don’t want pieces falling onto the baby!

Now secure the hoop which will really ensure nothing falls out.

I then threaded the four pieces of fishing wire through a spare button which would act as an anchor point so I could get the mobile to sit evenly.

Hold the mobile up and make sure it sits evenly before tying a knot above the button to fasten them in place.

Then tie to a hook or whatever you want to fasten it to and you’re done!

My baby already loves staring at the moving shapes and patterns. Because the fabric and thread is so light it makes the shapes easily move around without much of a breeze.