"I'm in my crib and, I'm takin' naps and, I've got a nautical-themed-mobile hangin." - Jude's mobile song based on "I'm on a boat" (Yes, another song based on SNL.)
I made this mobile for next to nothing, and rather quickly considering I had an eight week old at the time. Jude was going to start sleeping in his crib, and I realized he didn't have a mobile to look at, so I came up with this solution:
I highly recommend making this as a gift or before your baby arrives, so that you don't have to sew felt shapes while your tiny one sleeps on your chest:
Want to make one? Click through to find a tutorial complete with patterns!
Nautical Mobile Tutorial
Materials
craft felt in many colors (white, black, blue, green, red, yellow, gray)
wooden dowel or chopstick
thread
batting
embroidery hoop
yarn, string, or ribbon
patterns:
Download Nautical mobile patterns
1. Cut out pattern pieces, pin to doubled up or folded felt, cut out pieces.
*Note: Cut the sun pieces around the pointed edges then use the circle as a guide for where to sew them together. You will only need one set of the continents and the sails.
2. Applique the continents on the world.
3. Sew the pieces together leaving a hole at the top to stuff with batting. Stuff. I stuffed the anchor as I went. I sewed the sun so that the rays were offset.
*Note: For the boat: sew and stuff the body, leaving a small hole in the top for the dowel (cut to fit into the ship and hold the sails and flag). Position the dowel so that the sails will line up over the ship. I secured the dowel by sewing it in. Attach the sails and flag by wrapping thread around the dowel and through the sail at the top and bottom several times. I also ran a few loops of thread from the sail corners to the ship.
4. Next add long lengths of yarn, string, or ribbon into the top of each piece, sewing them shut.
5. Arrange the pieces on the smooth part of an embroidery hoop. Once they are hanging at the heights you like, wrap each string several times and tie a knot. Then gather all the strings together above the hoop and tie in one big knot. You can then determine how long you want it to hang, tie a loop at that spot, cut any extra string, and hang from a hook in the ceiling!
