I’ve been biting my tongue to keep from posting about my latest craft project, and now I can finally tell you all about it! About a month ago I stumbled upon this bird mobile on the Spool Sewing blog and fell in love. I knew it would be an awesome gift for my friend Lena at her upcoming baby shower; it fits her perfectly – colorful, natural, quirky and fun.
For once I actually gave myself enough time to complete a big craft project like this. A few days before Stephen and I left on our July trip to the beach, we stopped into the fabric store and picked up about a dozen pieces of colorful, fun fabric.
Armed with a needle and thread and Spool’s free bird pattern, we set off on our road trip. I must say sewing is actually a fun way to pass the time, and we sure had plenty of it! When we got back from the beach, I’d pretty much finished the 12 birds that would perch on the branches of the mobile.
After all the birds were sewn, I turned them right-side out, stuffed them with polyfil, and ironed the tails flat to sew them shut.
The tricky part was getting the right branches for the mobile and balancing it. My lovely hubby actually ran around in the rain Thursday night and scored 4 perfect branches for me from our yard. All I had to do was clean them up, spray them lightly with brown spray paint (to even out the tone) and a clear coat, and they were ready for action. I handstiched the birds to the branches with brown thread and hot glued the two heavier bottom birds to prevent them from flopping around too much.
With the help of Stephen’s handy bike stand, I threaded the branches together with metal wire and fishing line and played around with the balance until I ended up with something that looked like this!
Lena’s baby shower this afternoon was a blast, and I think she really liked her gift.
The hostesses really went all out and the food and onesie cake were delicious!
Here we all are at the end of the shower – what a fun group of girls and kiddos.
Just so you know, Lena, I wouldn’t undertake a project like that mobile for just anybody! Congratulations again on impending motherhood – we’re all so excited to meet your little baby boy or girl!
For more info on the original mobile inspiration and a free bird pattern, visit Spool Sewing’s blog.
