Bird Mobile

Steps 1-3

Steps:

1. Make a sketch of the mobile.

2. Draw a pattern for the birds and wings on regular weight paper.

3. Cut out two bird patterns and place them on a double thickness of fabric. Trace around the patterns with a washable marker or pencil. Remove the paper patterns and pin the fabric together to stabilize it during machine stitching.

Steps 4-5

4. Roughly cut the fabric around the traced patterns leaving about an inch around the pattern.

5. Machine-stitch directly on the outline of the birds leaving an opening at the top of the backs for stuffing.

Step 6

6. Clip the excess fabric close to the stitching line. Wherever there is a sharp bend in the cloth, make a relief-cut as close to the sewing line as possible, without cutting the thread. This will keep the shape from puckering once it is right side out.

Step 7

7. Turn the birds right side out.

Step 8

8. Stuff the birds with polyester filling and use a chopstick to stuff the beak. Hand-sew the opening shut.

Step 9

9. Prime the birds with clear acrylic medium. Let dry.

Step 10

10. Paint the birds with a base coat of acrylic paint. Let dry. Blend blue and green colors on the body.

Step 11

11. Paint facial details such as the beak and eyes with acrylic paints. Let dry.

Step 12

12. Cut two pieces of wire for the frames of the wings. Place the wire directly on the paper wing pattern and bend it to the shape of the pattern.

Step 13

13. Wrap the ends of the wire with thinner gauge steel wire to secure the wings together.

Steps 14-15

14. Cut gauze fabric about 1-inch larger all the way around each wire frame.

15. Hand-sew the gauze to the wire frame by pulling the edges over the wire and hand sew close to the edge. Pin the gauze in place while sewing.

Step 16

16. Clip the edges to make a clean line.

Step 17

17. Paint the gauze wings with light blue acrylic paint. Let dry.

Steps 18-19

18. Attach the wings to the back of the birds by poking holes with a large needle in the bird, poking fishing line through the holes and making a sturdy knot once the line is through the wings.

19. Poke a hole in the top of the head of each bird for hanging on the mobile. Attach a 4-foot piece of fishing line.

Steps 20-24

20. Place a dowel rod in a vise and shape it with a spokeshave, planer or heavy sandpaper.

21. Finish-sand the dowel rod with 100-grit sandpaper.

22. Position the birds and dowel rod. Drill two holes in the dowel rod for the birds.

23. Attach the birds to the dowel rod with fishing line.

24. To hang the bird mobile, find the balance by slipping a piece of thread around the dowel rod, when it balances, mark the spot with a pencil and drill a hole.

Step 25

25. Attach a piece of fishing line to the balance point and hang.

Web site: www.grootmobiles.com