Monday, June 13, 2011

diy mobiles for baby.

Finally! I present to you my long awaited, much overdue, post about how I made two mobiles for Olive out of yarn and other things. :)

First, I hunted through my craft room and realized that I didn't have very interesting yarn color choices. I asked Brooke if I could borrow some of her yarn and she let me borrow a big bag full. :)

I looked around online for ways to make yarn puff balls.. or as most people call them "pom-poms". I prefer "puff ball". I settled on the following method and after a few tries streamlined the process a bit.

How to make a puff ball:



Cut out two cardboard doughnut shapes with a slit and a notch cut in each one. They can be any size. The diameter of the cardboard doughnut will be the approximate diameter of your puff ball.

 

 



Put the cardboard pieces back to back so it looks like you have only one.

 

 

 



Start on one side of the slit cut into the cardboard and wrap the yarn around. Wrap yarn over the end piece so it doesn't come undone - you don't need to do anything fancy.. just wrap yarn over it a couple of times. Do not wrap the yarn too tight as you will need it to give slightly when you cut it off the cardboard later.

 

 



Wrap the yarn all the way around the cardboard until you reach the other end of the slit then backtrack. The thicker you put the yarn on the more dense your puff ball will be.

 

 

I wrapped my yarn around until I couldn't really see the cardboard anymore. But again, that's totally up to you.. it just determines the density of your puff ball.

 

 

This is why your yarn needs to have a little give. Cut between the two cardboard pieces all the way around. If your yarn is wound too tight you won't be able to get the scissors in.  Be careful here so that all of your little yarn pieces don't fall out. If they do, pretend they are caterpillars.

 

 



Cut a piece of yarn and put it between the two cardboard pieces. Tie it and then tie it again on the opposite side. And again if you're afraid that your little yarn caterpillars will wiggle out.

 

 



And voila! A puff ball!

 

 

 

Here are some photos of the puff balls being all cute in a row as well as photos of the finished products.
There are two mobiles - one is a circle and the other is a wavy line.
The top part is copper jewelry wire that I bought at a garage sale when I was in high school.
In the photos they are hanging on the ceiling fans in our living room.













The wavy line is now in Olive's room above her changing table. She really likes to look at it!
The circle is still on the fan in the living room. It's on the fan that is above our rug where we spend a lot of time every day. It's supposed to go above her crib but she doesn't spend much time there!

The end! Let me know if you have any questions about the process. It's super easy and very fast! I made the puff balls while talking on the phone, reading blogs, and while in the car.  These would be great to make for your own home - with our without baby - or as gifts!  :)

1 comment:

  1. I prefer the term "puff ball" too. :) But these are great, I've been wanting a mobile for my son & these look so easy & fun.

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